Considering the fact that 11 million people in the United States—about 3.6 percent of us—are deaf or near-deaf, this singular minority doesn’t get much attention. People who experience deafness don’t get flags, or parades. Yet deafness is not simply a disability. It’s a multifaceted experience that deserves better understanding.
That’s where Deaf Awareness Month comes in. Now is always a good time to learn about deafness, read books that humanize the deaf experience, and maybe learn sign language so you can communicate with deaf neighbors.
The Silent Garden: A Parent’s Guild to Raising a Deaf Child by Paul W. Ogden is a valuable resource for parents and caregivers of deaf children.
Here are some books to help younger kids understand a bit more about deafness:
- Can You hear a Rainbow? The Story of a Deaf Boy Named Chris by Jamee Riggio Heelan
- Handtalk Birthday: A Number & Story Book in Sign Language by Remy Charlip
- Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf girl, Changed Percussion by Shannon Stocker
- I Have a Sister—My Sister Is Deaf by Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson
- Living with Deafness by Emma Haughton
- Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman
- What Is Sign Language? by Deborah Kent
Books for older readers are readily available:
- Hello Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
- Sail Me Away Home by Ann Clare LeZotte
- Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick