The first-ever Arkansas DeaFestival, hosted by the Arkansas Association of the Deaf (AAD), is set for Saturday, June 13 at Arkansas School for the Deaf in Little Rock.

“DeaFestival is a festival that occurs to bring everyone together and share deaf culture and creativity for the deaf community,” says Jeff Prail, chairperson for the event and president of AAD. “This event is free and open to the community. We want to share our culture with hearing people so they have a better understanding what it is like to be deaf.”

The event will bring together a variety of deaf performers, artists and athletes including rapper Warren “Wawa” Snipe, street performer JJ Mime and storyteller Austin “Awti” Andrews. The headliner is MMA fighter Matt Hamill who will share his experiences and the barriers he encountered in UFC.

Assistive technology will also be on display at the festival, including Arkansas Relay Service, a free service that makes use of the telephone possible and a better experience for deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, speech-disabled and hearing Arkansans. Visitors will also find products from sComm, a company which develops face-to-face communication technology for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Attendees can browse a community expo made up of a number of exhibitors, including Bethel Fellowship Church, Deaf United Organization, Little Rock Black Deaf Advocates, Northwest Arkansas Association of the Deaf and Deaf Fellowship Church, among others.

“This is the very first DeaFestival that is being held in this state, however, other states have hosted their own festivals, which are very similar to ours,” Prail says. “Arkansas DeaFestival is an opportunity for the deaf to celebrate and for the hearing to learn about the deaf world.”

The host organization, AAD, is the oldest and largest consumer organization of deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the state of Arkansas, Prail says. Founded in 1893 by alumni of the Arkansas School for the Deaf, the group is governed by an 11-member executive board, the majority of who are themselves deaf or hard-of-hearing.

A Sound Organization

The 180-member, non-profit AAD promotes the educational, economic and social welfare of its constituents. Membership is open to any Arkansan who is deaf or hard-of-hearing, as well as parents of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing; professionals who work with deaf and hard-of-hearing youth and adults; and other individuals interested in supporting AAD’s goals.

The group’s objectives include supporting official recognition of American Sign Language (ASL) and full and accessible state-wide interpreting services. In this regard, Prail says, Arkansas still has work to do before full equality is achieved in various areas of daily life, even in the shadow of the Americans with Diabilities Act. “Arkansas is relatively behind in providing accommodation in facilities and services for the deaf,” he says. “The biggest improvement in our state that we are now seeing is the movie theaters now offering CaptiView (Cinemark) and captioning glasses (Regal) so deaf and hard-of-hearing can watch movies at any given time.”

Many of the things the AAD fights for are things the hearing population takes for granted, such as taking a driver’s test, finding a family doctor or even hearing a tornado siren in time to take cover, Prail says. Such instances usually stem from the lack of understanding between the two communities.

“There are many scenarios that we all encounter even when we have Americans with Disabilities Act in place. We still experience setbacks that frustrate us,” he says. “The ADA is supposed to help us to move forward but it is always one step forward, two steps back. Often times, we are the ones who have to educate those who are clueless what our accommodation is and many times we have to stand up for our communication access rights.”

“Arkansas Association for the Deaf, as a statewide organization, carries many hats on many subjects. We often fight for the rights for our Arkansans deaf citizens to assure their rights, and we reach out to those places in society to educate them.”

Other events hosted by the AAD throughout the year include ASL movie night, Trivia Night, education/advocacy workshops and a convention every two years. For more information, visit ARKAD.org. More information on the free DeaFestival on June 13 is available at DeaFestival.ARKAD.org.

On a Mission

The Arkansas Association of the Deaf’s objectives are to:

  • Advocate equal educational opportunities at all levels for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students
  • Support official recognition of American Sign Language (ASL)
  • Oppose legal, economic and social discrimination for any reason
  • Support the right of each and every Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing person to develop his/her talents to their fullest capacity
  • Encourage employment of Deaf individuals in all areas of employment
  • Support specialized Education, Rehabilitation, Mental Health Services for the Deaf
  • Support full and accessible state-wide interpreting services
  • Support fully captioned TV programs and emergency broadcasts

Deafness Defined

“Deaf is when you have a total loss of hearing in one or both ears, you cannot hear anything at all—unless we are living in Star Trek World where technology can fix our deafness in a heartbeat. Deaf is where your communication is American Sign Language, you use your hands to communicate as a hearing person would use their voice to speak,” Jeff Prail explains.