New Website Documents Deaf Experience During World War II
January 23, 2007
A new website describing and documenting the experiences of deaf people during World War II is now online, thanks to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology.
This site, www.rit.edu/~deafww2, features video clips, testimonies, articles, scripts, artwork, books and related links, and explores an area of deaf studies that until now has lacked information.
The site focuses on three spheres of the world involved in this conflict. Deaf North Americans, Deaf Europeans, and Deaf Asians people’s lives are examined before, during and after the war. It also features videotape clips and full testimonies, articles, scripts, artwork, books and links to other related sites.
This site is of particular importance given that many remaining deaf survivors and eyewitnesses of WWII have passed away or will within the coming years. Their stories and experiences need to be preserved and shared. Historians also need to examine records, testimonies and history within the context of the deaf experience.