USM recently resumed hosting the annual Maine Deaf Film Festival. The festival has been celebrating films specifically made by and/or starring Deaf filmmakers and actors since 2003. The university’s Linguistics department is largely in charge of organizing the two day event, which is just one of many opportunities for students studying American Sign Language to interact with members of the Deaf community. Sheena Lyles, who is a Deaf comedienne, content creator, and actress, was the keynote speaker this year!

The American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA) is a national organization that brings together professionals from vocational rehabilitation, mental health, chemical health, education, interpreting, and related fields to share best practices in working with individuals who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind to address policy and program concerns, and to network.