September-October 2001

Victory for Deaf Sports In the panel from the exhibition, historical photographs of deaf athletes greet visitors. Photos include the 1898 football team at the Colorado School for the Deaf, basketball players from a 1928 tournament (center insert), and a 1927 football practice at Gallaudet University (upper insert), while a flag from Kansas School for the Deaf waves over all. There are 55 panels that capture scenes from the deaf community in the “History Through Deaf Eyes” exhibition.

History Through Deaf Eyes

A photo of a doll—the one that Ivy Stewart Shipman brought to Missouri School for the Deaf in the early 1900s—is there. So is a copy of the first letter that Clarke School student Italo Russo wrote to his mom and dad in 1924. So is a picture of the 1989 Colorado School for the Deaf football team.

These are among the many photos of deaf students and adults that are enlarged and captured on huge standing panels in “History Through Deaf Eyes,” a traveling exhibition about deaf people in the United States.

Jack Gannon, former assistant to the president at Gallaudet University, and his wife, Rosalyn Gannon, with Jean Bergey from Gallaudet University and designer Hank Grasso, put together the exhibition with lots of help from advisors, school collections from across the country, and Gallaudet University’s Archives.

“We hope that deaf teens who see the exhibition will understand that it is okay to be deaf. They will realize there a lot of things to be proud of in our deaf history and perhaps this knowledge will challenge them to greater heights,” said Gannon.

Gannon is the author of Deaf Heritage, the book that sparked a revolution in appreciating the culture and contribution of America’s deaf people and deaf community.

“It never occurred to me the impact the book would have,” said Gannon. “I think it finally hit me when one of the stories was converted into a play in New York City and we were invited to the opening.”

Gannon noted that the book and the exhibition are different. While the book focuses primarily on the signing community, the exhibition reflects the heritage of deaf individuals from both signing and oral deaf backgrounds.

For more information or to schedule the exhibition in your area, contact Jean Bergey: Jean.Bergey@gallaudet.edu. http://depts.gallaudet.edu/deafeyes/