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| | HR0175 | | LRB104 12661 MST 23417 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | | WHEREAS, The National Association of the Deaf recognizes |
| 3 | | April as Deaf History Month to increase awareness of and |
| 4 | | express appreciation for the many contributions that deaf and |
| 5 | | hard-of-hearing individuals have made to our society; and
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| 6 | | WHEREAS, According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, over |
| 7 | | 400,000 individuals in Illinois are deaf or hard of hearing; |
| 8 | | and
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| 9 | | WHEREAS, Deaf culture is an important part of the fabric |
| 10 | | of our society; and
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| 11 | | WHEREAS, Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals have made |
| 12 | | and continue to make numerous contributions to their local |
| 13 | | communities, the state, and the United States; and
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| 14 | | WHEREAS, The American School for the Deaf opened in |
| 15 | | Hartford, Connecticut on April 15, 1817 as the first public |
| 16 | | school for the deaf in the United States; and
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| 17 | | WHEREAS, Inspired by meeting an educated deaf man, State |
| 18 | | Senator Orville H. Browning introduced and championed the |
| 19 | | passage of a bill in 1839 to create what would become the |
| 20 | | Illinois School for the Deaf, which opened its doors to |
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| | HR0175 | - 2 - | LRB104 12661 MST 23417 r |
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| 1 | | students in January of 1846 in Jacksonville, where it proudly |
| 2 | | remains located to this day; and
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| 3 | | WHEREAS, In April of 1864, President Abraham Lincoln, who |
| 4 | | as a state legislator in Illinois supported the creation of |
| 5 | | the Illinois School for the Deaf, signed a charter |
| 6 | | establishing Gallaudet University, the first college in the |
| 7 | | world for deaf students, named in honor of Thomas Hopkins |
| 8 | | Gallaudet, who acted as an informal advisor to the first board |
| 9 | | members of the Illinois School for the Deaf; therefore, be it
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| 10 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE |
| 11 | | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
| 12 | | we declare April 2025 and April 2026 as Deaf History Month in |
| 13 | | the State of Illinois and encourage Illinoisans to become |
| 14 | | familiar with and celebrate the contributions of deaf |
| 15 | | Illinoisans to our state and nation; and be it further
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| 16 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
| 17 | | provided to the Illinois Association of the Deaf, the Illinois |
| 18 | | Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, and the Illinois School |
| 19 | | for the Deaf as a symbol of our respect and esteem. |
