April is National Deaf History Month

National Deaf History Month during April celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of people who are deaf and those who are hard of hearing and raises awareness for the Deaf community. The National Association of the Deaf first introduced National Deaf History Month in 1997, and in 2006, the American Library Association partnered with NAD in supporting and spreading awareness of this celebration. Initially, the month was celebrated from mid-March to mid-April. Then in March 2022, the National Association of the Deaf released a statement changing the dates to April 1-30 based on feedback from the NAD Deaf Culture and History Section and various stakeholders, including from organizations that represent marginalized communities within the Deaf Community.

Deaf History Important Sites:

April 15, 1817 — The American School for the Deaf, the first public permanent school for Deaf children in the United States, was opened. Located in West Hartford, Connecticut, the school is a nationally renowned leader in providing comprehensive educational programs and services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

April 8, 1864 — Gallaudet University, the first and only higher education institution for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, was founded. Gallaudet, a private federally chartered research university in Washington, DC, is the only university in the world where students live and learn using American Sign Language and English.

Encyclopedia Britannica: History of the Deaf includes information dating back to the 16th century.

People and Events in Deaf History

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Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Gov. Beshear announced March 16 that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released nearly $8 million to Kentucky for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This brings the total amount of funding for LIHEAP to almost $81 million. LIHEAP helps eligible low-income households meet their home heating and/or cooling needs. The Kentucky LIHEAP program helps approximately 150,000 Kentucky families pay their heating bills each winter. For more information, visit the Cabinet for Health and Family Services here.

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Gov. Andy Beshear shared options on March 9 for eligible Kentucky residents to receive assistance through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that helps ensure households can afford high-speed internet for work, school, health care and more.

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. A household is eligible for the ACP if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria listed on FCC.gov/ACP. Go to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an application or print out a mail-in application.

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Eastern Kentucky Flood Update

As of March 9, 195 families are housed in travel trailers, and Kentucky State Parks are housing 18 people, down from the 360 people sheltered on September 1, 2022. If flood victims need help, they should call FEMA directly or visit a Multi-Agency Resource Center. The centers are on a rotating schedule, which consists of two onsite personnel and one remote support person as needed. The staff will rotate from county to county each day. Visit governor.ky.gov/FloodResources for more information.

The Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund has raised over $13.1 million from more than 41,500 donors. To contribute, click here.

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Federal Medicaid Renewal Coming Soon

Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander is reminding Kentuckians that the federal pandemic benefit that made it easier for low-income families to sign up for free health care is changing. Starting this year, Medicaid enrollees must once again participate in an annual renewal to determine eligibility for Medicaid. To learn more, see the full release or click here to update your information.

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Better Internet Listening Tour—More Dates!

The Office of Broadband Development and the Education and Labor Cabinet want to hear directly from Kentuckians across the Commonwealth about their high-speed internet priorities. This is a critical part of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity Act (DEA) planning processes, and they need your help. These conversations will bring together local leaders, community partners and advocates, business and industry, education, healthcare, agriculture, and local residents to provide input on priorities for the state plan and share what is happening in the region.

Dates, cities, and links to reserve your spot include the following:

March 20: Maysville, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., click here.

March 22: Lexington, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., click here.

March 23: Florence, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., click here.

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CSD Learns + DKC Coding Bootcamp Registration 2023

CSD Learns + DKC Coding Bootcamp Registration is a two-week virtual experience for your middle and high school students to participate in a coding course. Students will learn alongside their peers from engaging deaf and hard of hearing mentors. This experience is designed to be self-paced for your students individually or as a class. You will be able to shorten the pace, or lengthen it, depending on the needs of your class.

After you register for the course, you will be invited to a town hall meeting to learn more! These town hall meetings are for educators, caregivers, learners, and anyone else curious about the upcoming virtual coding bootcamp. The CSD Learns team will give a sneak peek of the coding course in Canvas, explain the registration process, and answer any questions you may have about the coding bootcamp co-hosted by CSD Learns and Deaf Kids Code. For more information, email registration.learns@csd.org.

Coding bootcamp sessions: to register, click here.

April 3-14, 2023

Town Hall Meetings:

Town Hall Meeting #3 is March 29: 7-8 p.m. ET/4-5 p.m. PT

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Kentucky Hands & Voices Host SuperHEARo 5K May 20

Join Kentucky Hands & Voices for the 6th annual SuperHEARo 5K at White Hall State Historic Site, 500 White Hall Shrine Road in Richmond on May 20. The 1-Mile Fun Run (non-timed event) will take place at 9 a.m. followed by the 5K (a timed event) at 9:30 a.m. In addition to an in-person event at White Hall State Historic Site, there will also be a virtual option you can join from near or far! Participants are encouraged to dress up as their favorite superhero. Packet pick-up will be available at Surge Screenprinting on Friday, May 19 or prior to the race on Saturday beginning at 7:30am.

Awards will be given for Top Overall Male & Female Finishers in the 5K, as well as Best Dressed Male & Female Superheroes. There will also be a prize for the Best Dressed Wonder Pet. Medals will awarded for the top three finishers in various age categories. To signup, click on the logo below.

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KENTUCKY COMMISSION ON THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

632 Versailles Road

Frankfort, KY 40601

502-573-2604 V | 502-416-0607 VP | 800-372-2907 Toll Free

kcdhh.ky.gov | kcdhh@ky.gov