Profile America -- Sunday, September 20th. This is Deaf Awareness Week -- a time to promote deaf culture and heritage and the use of American sign language. There will be programs across the nation, including library displays, open houses at residential schools, and exhibit booths at shopping malls. The observance occurs during the week noting the 19th anniversary of signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act. More than 41 million people across the nation have some level of disability -- about 15 percent of the population 5 and older. About 1 million adults report not being able to hear conversations at all. Nearly 60 percent of people aged 21 to 64 with difficulty hearing have jobs. Profile America is beginning its 13th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 463
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB09-FF.13
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).
