Without Our Deaf Clubs, Where Will We Go?

For over a hundred years, Deaf clubs have historically functioned as “third places” where Deaf Americans can freely socialize in environments designed for their culture and language. Yet, those very spaces have slowly been disappearing in the twentieth-first century and there have been many theories shared as to why. Many of the Deaf club members Dr. Hill interviewed for her research project stated that the rise of digital technology and social media was to blame for the declining attendance. On the other hand, the few scholarly materials published on Deaf clubs point theorize that changes in the post-war American workforce and growth of a Deaf white-collar are major contributing factors to why American Deaf clubs have become fractured and weakened, rather than technology. What, then, is the actual big picture? Why are Deaf clubs closing and what is being done to preserve their history? This presentation will address the rise and fall of American Deaf clubs, and offer a close look at one specific club as a case study.