Deaf Heritage

A Narrative History of Deaf America

Jack R. Gannon

• Publisher: Gallaudet University Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781563685149
• eBook ISBN: 9781563685156
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Social History
• Index: History

Now, Jack R. Gannon's original groundbreaking volume on Deaf history and culture is available once again. In Deaf Heritage: A Narrative History of Deaf America, Gannon brought together for the first time the story of the Deaf experience in America from a Deaf perspective. Recognizing the need to document the multifaceted history of this unique minority with its distinctive visual culture, he painstakingly gathered as much material as he could on Deaf American life. The result is a 17-chapter montage of artifacts and information that forms an utterly fascinating record from the early nineteenth century to the time of its original publication in 1981.

Deaf Heritage tracks the development of the Deaf community both chronologically and by significant subjects. The initial chapter treats the critical topics of early attempts at deaf education, the impact of Deaf and Black deaf teachers, the establishment of schools for the deaf, and the founding of Gallaudet College. Individual chapters cover the 1880s through the 1970s, mixing milestones such as the birth of the National Association of the Deaf and the work of important figures, Deaf and hearing, with anecdotes about day-to-day deaf life. Other chapters single out important facets of Deaf culture: American Sign Language, Deaf Sports, Deaf artists, Deaf humor, and Deaf publications. The overall effect of this remarkable record, replete with archival photographs, tables, and lists of Deaf people's accomplishments, reveals the growth of a vibrant legacy singular in American history.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Dedication
• Foreword
• Preface 2012
• Acknowledgement
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Chronology
• Chapter 1—The Early Years
• Chapter 2—The 1880s
• Chapter 3—The 1890s
• Chapter 4—Artists
• Chapter 5—The 1900s
• Chapter 6—The 1910s
• Chapter 7—The 1920s
• Chapter 8—Humor
• Chapter 9—The 1930s
• Chapter 10—The 1940s
• Chapter 11—Publications of the Deaf
• Chapter 12—The 1950s
• Chapter 13—Sports
• Chapter 14—The 1960s
• Chapter 15—American Sign Language: Our Natural Language
• Chapter 16—The 1970s
• Chapter 17—The National Association of the Deaf
• Appendix
• Special Acknowledgment
• About the Author
• Chapter Notes
• Bibliography
• Index