Each resource description is linked to the original webpage for easy access.

Learn about ASL and Deaf/HOH People

The video “What is ASL?” from the ASL education and Deaf culture advocate YouTube Channel ASL THAT! explains some key points of Deaf history and the importance of Deaf access to ASL and other sign languages.

This factsheet by Disability:IN and the Inclusion Plus Institute defines ableism and audism and explores examples of these oppressive perspectives and specific ways to dismantle them in ourselves and our organizations.

The American Library Association (ALA)’s Programming Librarian blog includes an interview by Hannah Arata (2022) with members of the Friends of Libraries for Deaf Action (FOLDA) about an upcoming library toolkit, Deaf advocacy in libraries, and misconceptions about the Deaf community. 

Communication Tips

The ALA Accessibility Assembly developed a resource for library staff serving Deaf and HOH patrons. This resource also includes links to key Deaf advocacy and information organizations.

The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) lists several communication tips for folks working with HOH patrons, as well as tips for folks who are hard of hearing. It also provides examples of assistive technologies and situations that may be challenging for HOH patrons to communicate in.

FOLDA’s Deaf Cultural Resource Center lists specific, simple communication tips for non-signing library staff to use with Deaf patrons.

Building Deaf-friendly Libraries

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) provides a list of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sections which are relevant to public libraries. This allows for a simple perusal of the federal regulations for providing legally adequate service to Deaf and disabled patrons.

The ALA’s Public Programs Office developed a “Serving Patrons with Disabilities in Small and Rural Libraries” guide for a grant project. The guide explores concerns and practices specific to small and rural libraries, which frequently have fewer resources available to them than larger or urban libraries.

A collaboration between NAD and FOLDA, this kit supports programming around National Deaf History Month, including some history of the heritage month and considerations for libraries planning Deaf cultural programming. 

The FOLDA Libraries Connect Communities toolkit is still being drafted but, as of this writing, includes important historical moments in Deaf history and many links to related Deaf organizations and websites.

This post was written by LSUCTC committee member Lee Cooney (they/them). They are a children’s librarian with a Masters in Library and Information Science from Kent State University. They live and work in the ancestral territory of the Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Nation, also called Rochester, NY.”