CaptionMax has learned a lot this Deaf History Month (March 13 – April 15), and we’ve posted what we’ve learned. As we approach the end of this celebratory month, we’d like to recap all of what we learned and pass along some of our favorite websites. It’s been such a fun month of reading and research. If you have any additions, please add them to our comments!
CaptionMax Blog
We started this month with an excellent blog about Jim Marsters written by Jay Wyant. Jay recapped Marsters’ amazing contributions to deaf culture, including the TTY and modern relay services. Jay acknowledged the continuing impact Marsters’ work has on current efforts to make telecommunications accessible: “Such change is only possible because of leading visionaries like Jim Marsters, an uncontroversial radical.”
Next we talked to Max about why he started CaptionMax and how he continues to advocate for accessible media. If you’ve never heard the story about CaptionMax’s beginning, then this is the story for you!
After that we learned about some amazing inventions by deaf people. Deaf people are doing pioneering work in all fields, from science to sports. We wonder what will come next? Is there anything that we didn’t list that should have been included in our article?
Lastly, an audio describer ventured into captionland. Do you know what it takes to be a captioner? Brains, strength, and grammer smarts are just three qualities!
Interesting Websites to Watch
We’ve also visited a number of sites to learn more about deaf history, the American Sign Language, and continual calls of action to the deaf community.
1. DCMP’s Deaf History Resource
- Check out movies about deaf history.
- Take a quiz on the history of captioning.
2. The Deafness Blog
- A great repository of information.
3. Gallaudet University
- The first university designed to provide advanced education to deaf and hard of hearing students.
4. Learning American Sign Language (ASL)
- ASL is a visual, living language that continues to grow and change.
- Learn some new signs!
Our first year of blogging about deaf history has been a success. What would you like to see us investigate or promote for next years blogs? We can’t wait to start planning!