One portion of deaf culture that I have heard about in the past, but know very little information on, are deaf clubs. Deaf clubs were originally established during the 1920s through the 1950s to bring Deaf people together. During this time, being deaf was still considered a disability that was to be “normalized” within the hearing society, thus little effort from communities, companies, and the government was made to encourage social gathering of Deaf individuals. In addition, Deaf people often worked in jobs where no other Deaf people worked. Thus, being Deaf seemed to be a sentence of social isolation. That is, at least, before Deaf clubs.
In a world of hearing, Deaf clubs provided the Deaf with a place to fulfill their social needs. They were safe, unique spaces where Deaf individuals could go and communicate with other individuals through sign language. However, these clubs were not limited to just chit-chatting between friends, but these clubs also organized activates to promote a sense of community. They organized sports teams, hired Deaf performers, held film screenings, holiday parties, and beauty pageants, and etc. In addition to this, Deaf club’s also provided the Deaf youth with an adult who often provided guidance, a meeting place for future spouses, and overall a place to seek aid and friendship. Deaf clubs were also extremely important in the development and creation of shared signs, further contributing to the development of Deaf society and culture. In general, the clubs were located close to large cities, which is where deaf schools were commonly located, or near communities with a high Deaf population.
Interestingly enough, before Deaf clubs became popular for deaf individuals, these clubs were held in rented spaced and frequently changed locations. It was only after they gained popularity and dues were collected from the members that permanent accommodations were obtained.
Luckily, by the mid-1960s these viewpoints began to change and the Deaf communities, which were originally viewed as a disabled group, were identified instead as a cultural and linguistic minority. However, also during this time, Deaf Clubs began to decline in popularity. The civil rights movement promoted equal treatment, and as such, more Deaf people began working white-collar jobs for companies that focused on hiring other Deaf people, thus diminishing the need for Deaf clubs. Alongside this, the emerging presence of technology has also been attributed to the decline of Deaf Clubs. With advances in technology, new devices were invented that specifically mitigated the lifestyle differences between the Deaf and the hearing. Inventions like the TTY in the 1970’s and wider use of Closed Captioning for movies increased the opportunities of entertainment within Deaf society, thus deaf clubs were not as imperative for entertainment services. Furthermore, Deaf people turned towards a more private lifestyle and they lost interest in the traditional group activities that were accompanied by Deaf clubs. Today, there are some Deaf Clubs still in existence, however, the numbers have decreased dramatically. In America, the majority of them are within the Midwest and the south, but their membership is small and only decreasing with time.
Deaf Clubs Today: Do They Still Have a Role to Play? The Cases of Cyprus and Greece https://muse-jhu-edu.newman.richmond.edu/article/425304
https://ifmyhandscouldspeak.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/deaf-clubs/