
Deaf History Month begins
March 13, 2026
Deaf History Month
March 13-April 15, since 1997
To commemorate the three most important deaf cultural dates in American history
- March 13, 1988: The victory of the Deaf President Now movement at Gallaudet University located in Washington, D.C. when the first deaf person was selected to become president of this 124-year-ole institution
- April 8, 1864: Charter signed by the President Abraham Lincoln, authorizing the Board of Directors of the Columbia Institution (now Gallaudet University) to grant college degree to deaf students
- April 15, 1817: First permanent school founded for deaf students in the Western Hemisphere, now known as the American School for the Deaf