Answers

DeafMonitor is an independent, ad-free news and community platform for the global Deaf, hard-of-hearing, DeafBlind, and Late-Deafened communities. It curates Deaf-relevant news from a vetted source list — including The Daily Moth, Sign1News, NAD, and Gallaudet — and adds editorial context where warranted. Other widely respected sources include The Daily Moth (ASL-first daily news), Sign1News (broadcast-style ASL news), and The Limping Chicken (UK-focused Deaf commentary).

Deaf-friendly job boards include DeafMonitor Jobs, the NAD Career Center, Gallaudet University Career Services, and RIT/NTID Career Services for graduates of those institutions. General job boards (Indeed, LinkedIn) work too, but Deaf-specific boards concentrate roles from employers and organizations already oriented toward ASL access, captioning, and Deaf-affirming workplaces. Employers seeking Deaf talent can post directly on DeafMonitor Jobs or partner with DeafMonitor as a Community Partner.

American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canada. ASL has its own grammar, syntax, and regional variation — it is not a signed version of English. ASL uses handshapes, facial expressions, and body positioning to convey meaning. It is recognized as a foreign language at many U.S. universities. DeafMonitor Videos hosts ASL content from Deaf creators and outlets.

The capitalized form "Deaf" refers to the cultural-linguistic community — people who identify with Deaf culture, primarily use a signed language, and share community values, history, and arts. The lowercase "deaf" refers to the audiological condition of hearing loss without implying cultural identity. A person can be deaf (audiologically) without being culturally Deaf. DeafMonitor follows community style: capitalized "Deaf" for cultural identity, lowercase "deaf" for the medical sense, and "hard of hearing" instead of "hearing impaired."

DeafBlind (one capitalized compound word) refers to people with combined vision and hearing loss. The DeafBlind community is its own cultural-linguistic community with its own communication methods including Pro-Tactile ASL (a tactile signing system developed by DeafBlind people), tracking (following another person's signing hands), and haptic communication. The DeafBlind community is distinct from both the hearing-Blind community and the Deaf community — though it overlaps culturally with Deaf communities through shared signed languages.

DeafMonitor Events aggregates Deaf community events nationally and globally — Deaf coffee chats, ASL slams, Deaf film festivals, Deaflympics qualifiers, Deaf school reunions, and conferences from RID, NAD, and other organizations. Local Deaf clubs, state associations of the Deaf, and Deaf school alumni networks are also strong sources for nearby gatherings. To list a Deaf event, organizations can submit it to DeafMonitor.

Yes — many. DeafMonitor Shop is a curated marketplace for Deaf creators and Deaf-owned businesses, spanning apparel, art, books, technology, and services. Larger Deaf-owned companies include Sorenson Communications (telecommunications), Convo (video relay services), Mozzeria (Deaf-owned restaurant group), and many independent Deaf-led studios, agencies, and consultancies. Supporting Deaf-owned businesses keeps capital circulating within the community and creates Deaf-affirming workplaces.

The Deaflympics are an international multi-sport event for Deaf athletes, held every four years. They are organized by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Summer Deaflympics began in 1924 (Paris) — making them older than the Paralympics — and the Winter Deaflympics began in 1949. Athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in the better ear to compete. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are not permitted during competition. The U.S. team is governed by the USA Deaf Sports Federation.

The DeafMonitor Library aggregates 17,000+ openly licensed Deaf-studies items from the Internet Archive, Library of Congress, PubMed, and the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), refreshed monthly and freely searchable. For primary archives specifically, the Gallaudet University Archives, the RIT/NTID Deaf Studies Archive, and the American School for the Deaf Museum hold significant historical collections.

A signed-language interpreter renders spoken language into a signed language (ASL, BSL, etc.) and vice-versa, in real time. Interpreters are typically certified through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) and follow a professional code of ethics. A captioner (or CART provider — Communication Access Realtime Translation) produces real-time text from spoken language using a stenotype machine or voice recognition, displayed on a screen for the Deaf or hard-of-hearing person to read. Both are accommodations under the ADA, but they serve different communication preferences.

DeafMonitor is independent, ad-free, and community-funded — supported by Free, Pro, Student, and Organization memberships and Community Partner sponsorships, never advertising. It combines news aggregation with a community partner directory, jobs and events boards, a Deaf-owned shop marketplace, a creator directory, a 17,000+ item research library, and Deaf-authored Perspectives commentary. Unlike single-format Deaf media (ASL-only daily news, blog-only commentary), DeafMonitor is structured as a hub: everything Deaf, in one place.

No. DeafMonitor is independent and not affiliated with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Gallaudet University, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), or any single advocacy organization. Many of these organizations are listed as Community Partners, and their news appears in dedicated partner sections — clearly labeled and separated from independently aggregated editorial coverage. DeafMonitor is privately held, has no past investors, and is operated by founder Bryan Leeper.