September is Deaf Awareness month. It is a great time to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of our deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing communities. 

People who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing have a broad range of backgrounds and experiences – and those experiences contribute value to the larger society. People who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing are diverse in how they use language – some sign, some speak, some use tactile communication and some use a combination of communication modes. 

People who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing are also racially, culturally and ethnically diverse. There are people with hearing loss in every single ethnic, religious, cultural and identity group. This means it is important to consider the needs of people with hearing loss when planning community and cultural events. 

Hearing differences occur among people of every age. Some are born deaf, others lose hearing as the result of an illness, noise exposure or age. This leads to a wide range of communication access needs. One size does not fit all when it comes to providing communication access! 

We appreciate that each person’s needs are unique. For all of our community members, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division is here to help navigate tools and resources for accessing communication. 

Do you have questions about resources? You can contact us!