Deafpride, Inc.
Founded in 1972, Deafpride, Inc. was originally formed to support deaf children and their families by sharing information and fostering a sense of pride in their deaf identity. Over the following years it grew into a nonprofit whose services ranged from providing interpreters at medical appointments to facilitating addiction counseling. Its three original founders were: Ann Wilson, a Black mother frustrated with the difficulties of securing access for her deaf son; Barbara “Kanny” Kannapell, a deaf lesbian sociolinguist; and Eileen Paul, Barbara’s hearing partner. Their identities meant that Deafpride was by nature an intersectional organization with intentional outreach to Black, Latine, low-income, and queer people, with a focus on women and mothers.
Inner City AIDS Network contingent in Gay Pride Day parade.
Because Deafpride was well-established within the realm of healthcare, it became instrumental in ensuring access to AIDS services for deaf people. Deafpride provided interpreters for people with AIDS, organized cultural competency trainings for healthcare workers, and advocated for captioning and interpreters for all AIDS-related media. In 1989, Deafpride received funding from the DC Commission on Public Health to create Project AIDS, an education and access program for deaf people. Project AIDS worked with notable local and national organizations like the National Black Deaf Advocates, Us Helping Us, Inner City AIDS Network, and Deaf AIDS Action.
Deafpride was instrumental in the 1988 Deaf President Now movement, when Gallaudet students and community members demanded that Gallaudet hire a Deaf president for the first time in history to better represent the student body. Deafpride members joined the throngs of protestors and the organization provided interpreters to ensure that the activists’ message reached the hearing press.