From the State Library

Ohio Deaf History Month celebrates deaf history and the contributions of the hearing impaired and Deaf community to society. The General Assembly of the State of Ohio passed legislation in 2017 designating the period beginning March 13 and ending April 15 as Ohio Deaf History Month. The State Library of Ohio Board proclaimed the period beginning March 13 and ending April 15, 2021 as Ohio Deaf History Month and encourages Ohio libraries to display materials and host deaf awareness activities to highlight the significance of the many outstanding contributions made by Deaf and hearing pioneers, particularly in Deaf Education.
 
The State Library of Ohio has a longstanding partnership with the Ohio School for the Deaf, working together to provide information for and about people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. The Center for Outreach Services located at the Ohio School for the Deaf, and the State Library of Ohio collaborate to bring a collection of Deafness and interpreting-related materials to all Ohioans. Through this partnership, OSD purchases and provides materials to the State Library. In return, the State Library maintains and provides easy access to this collection through the State Library’s online catalog. This collection is targeted toward interpreters, American Sign Language students, parents, and professionals working within the Deaf community. The Center for Outreach Services provides resources of interest to K-12 Deaf educators, interpreters and parents in a variety of formats (books, DVDs, CD-ROMs, VHS tapes). The State Library of Ohio catalogues and maintains circulation of these items for use by individuals across the state. The Deafness Collection currently contains over 400 items. To browse available materials at the State Library, click here for the Deafness & Outreach collection.
 
In addition, the Ohio Digital Library includes a collection of ebooks and videos about Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL). The collection includes fiction and non-fiction for children and adults and covers many aspects of Deaf culture and ASL including language, history, education and instruction.