Deaf Media Council

HISTORICAL SKETCH

A group of deaf people formed the Deaf Media Council (DMC) in 1974 to promote the inclusion of deaf people in television media, both behind and in front of the camera. Their primary goal was to make the television industry more receptive to the needs of deaf people. Deaf people, in the past, tended not to communicate their needs to television stations. DMC collaborated with the University of Maryland for several workshops to familiarize deaf people in TV production. Thirty-minute practice sessions helped teach deaf people how to produce television shows. After learning that, the organization started to produce their own television shows. They produced the “Signs of Christmas,” a half-hour program of signed interpretations of Christmas songs, broadcasted on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This program was nominated for an Emmy award. Later on, they assisted Gallaudet College in developing television workshops for their students. Apathy and lack of access to production facilities caused the death of this organization in 1976. Don Bangs, Chuck Walworth, Betty Ingham, Edward Ingham, James Haynes, Tom Harrington, Muriel Horton, Janet Gagain, Carol Wisdom, Diane Stenz, Steve Howard, and many others consist the membership.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Organizational papers fill this collection primarily. Mostly legal documents such as minutes of the meeting, by-laws, tax exemption form, and reports are included in this collection. Correspondences with other television organizations with Deaf Media Council are included. DMC provided the brochures, clippings, drafts for letters, and newsletters from their organizational papers.

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