Remember TO MARK THIS DATE: March 21, 2007

PBS documentary explores 200 years of deaf life in
America "Through Deaf Eyes," a two-hour PBS documentary exploring
nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America, will air early next year.
The film was inspired by the exhibition, "History Through Deaf Eyes,"
curated by Jack R. Gannon of Gallaudet University.

The documentary will air nationally on PBS on Wednesday, March 21
at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).

The film presents the shared experiences of American history -
family life, education, work, and community connections - from the
perspective of deaf citizens. Interviews include community leaders,
historians, and deaf Americans with diverse views on language use,
technology and identity.

Bringing a Deaf cinematic lens to the film are six artistic works
by Deaf media artists and filmmakers: Wayne Betts, Renee Visco,
Tracey Salaway, Kimby Caplan, Arthur Luhn, and Adrean Mangiardi.

Poignant, sometimes humorous, these films draw on the media
artists' own lives and are woven throughout the documentary. But the
core of the film remains the larger story of Deaf life in America --
a story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that reaches the
heart of what it means to be human.

Major funding for "Through Deaf Eyes" is provided by the National
Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting,
PBS, The Annenberg Foundation and the National Endowment for the
Arts. Private individuals have also contributed to the funding of
this project. The extensive outreach campaign is funded in part by
Sign Language Associates. Outreach partners are the National
Association for the Deaf, Gallaudet University, the National
Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of
Technology, and California State University-Northridge. As part of
the outreach campaign, numerous local organizations, some in
association with
their public television stations, will mount events and discussions
exploring the issues raised in the film.

A comprehensive Web site, found at www.pbs.org
<http://www.pbs.org/> , accompanies the film. The site includes
interviews with the deaf filmmakers whose work is featured in the
documentary, while also inviting viewers to submit their own stories,
photographs, and films. These will become part of the archival
collection of Gallaudet University. A companion book is being
published by Gallaudet University Press.