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Historic Progress

Historic progress, including technological developments, and events in deaf history.

Caption Action - Grassroots Movement to Increase Captioning

The story of Caption Action, an early grassroots campaign to increase closed captioning on home video.

History of Sign Language

How did sign language - any sign language - develop?

Martha's Vineyard

In the 19th century, there was a place where it was just as normal to be deaf as it was to be hearing.

History of Hearing Aids

From laughable trumpets to sleek BTEs, hearing aids through the years.

History of Cochlear Implant

The modern cochlear implant is the result of centuries of work.

Milan 1880

In the 19th century, the very mention of this event struck fear in the hearts of sign language users.

Segregation in Schools for the Deaf

Back when public schools were segregated, schools for the deaf were no exception.

Deaf People on Television 50s to Today

Did you know that deaf characters have been on television almost since television began?

History of the Silent Network

Article by an About Deafness contributor on the birth, life, and death of the Silent Network cable channel.

Deafness in the Movies

Deaf characters have been in mainstream movies for years.

History of Gallaudet University

A brief history of Gallaudet University, with links to more in-depth resources.

Deaf Peddlers

Deaf peddling used to be a common thing; thankfully it is not anymore.

History of the TTY

Before text pagers and email, there was the TTY.

Alone in the Mainstream: A Deaf Woman Remembers Public School

A deaf author describes her personal experiences with being mainstreamed, and examines the experiences of other deaf adults.

Deaf, Not Retarded

Older deaf people may remember a time not too long ago, when deaf people were frequently misdiagnosed as retarded and institutionalized, with often disastrous consequences.

Deaf President Now

The historic Deaf President Now movement.

Deaf Slavery

When a group of deaf Mexicans was found enslaved, it was big news in the United States. Unfortunately, deaf slavery persists around the world and appears in the news from time to time.

Deaf People and the Holocaust

In the Holocaust, deaf people were either killed or sterilized.

End of the Silent News

At one time, the deaf and hard of hearing community had a very respected newspaper, the Silent News.

History of Closed Captioning

Closed captioning has now been around for a long time. This article looks at the history in brief, and includes my own contributions to closed captioning history.

Deaf People in the Great Depression

What was life like for deaf people in the Great Depression of the '30s?

Deaf People and War

Back when the Kosovo war was raging in the Balkans, a deaf man was one of the victims - and his deafness was the reason he died.
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