Submitted by Alice L. Hagemeyer, President, Library for Deaf Action / FOLDA

Email: Folda86@aol.com 

The Dallas Public Library, in partnerships with the Friends of the Dallas Public Library, Inc., the Deaf Action Center, Texas Association of the Deaf and National Association of the Deaf, will host a deaf cultural program, Deaf Legacy and Texas on Monday, January 23, 2012, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  ASL / Voice interpreters will be provided.  Held at the Dallas Public Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, TX, this program will feature three deaf speakers. 

Alice L. Hagemeyer and Alec McFarlane, both from Silver Spring, MD, will be in Dallas to attend American Library Association midwinter meeting (Jan 20-24). So while in town they asked to make a presentation to the public about the future deaf collaborative library project – Deaf Cultural Digital Library.  There will also be a tribute to Abbé Charles Michel de l’Épée on his 300th birth anniversary.  Born on November 25, 1712 and died on December 23, 1789, he was the Father of the Deaf Education and Sign Language globally.   

Grant Laird, Jr, the past president of the Texas Association of the Deaf and CEO of Deaf Network of Texas, will give a talk about Texas deaf folk hero who made America great —  Erastus “Deaf” Smith.   In 2012, the Texas Deaf Community will be celebrating his 225th birth anniversary. He was born on April 19, 1787 and died on  November 30, 1837.

The three above deaf speakers are members of the Deaf Culture and History Section of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Alice is the chair and Alec the delegate to the NAD’s ‘s biennial conference held in Louisville, KY, July 3-7, 2012.  www.nad.org.

 Organizations wishing to form partnerships with the public library in presenting deaf cultural programs during the year of 2012 may email Library for Deaf Action / FOLDA for information about resources.    FOLDA86@aol.com

The mission of the Dallas Public Library (opened October 30, 1901) is to link resources and customers to enhance lives. Of special interest to the public about Texas history, there is Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division, part of the Special Collections department of the Dallas Public Library (DPL).     http://dallaslibrary2.org/texas/index.htm