Deaf Studies & American Sign Language

This collection contains materials related to deaf softball tournaments in which donator Brian Fruits participated including tournaments sponsored by the American Athletic Association of the Deaf, National Softball Association of the Deaf, Southeast Athletic Association of the Deaf, Southern Sports Association of the Deaf, Central Athletic Association of the Deaf, Madison Association of the Deaf, Metro Washington Association of the Deaf, Carolina Athletic Association of the Deaf, Triad All Stars, and Vancyball. The collection also includes tournament programs, name badges, tournament brackets, newsletters, a tournament bid, and team shirts.

This collection consists of deaf assistive technology. It includes TTYs, Telecaption TV, signalers and receivers, bed shaking and flashing alarm clocks, and mobile videophones. These devices allowed the deaf to communicate over the phone, watch TV with captions, alert them (via flashing lights) to a doorbell, sensor, phone, etc., and allowed teh to communicate through live video.

This collection contains materials related to Deaf athletic associations including programs from tournaments, photographs of teams, score sheets and books, newsletters, flyers and bulletins.

This collection contains materials related to the Deaf community including items from Gallaudet University, the Utah Community Center for the Deaf, the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, the Utah Association for the Deaf, and the Utah School for the Deaf. It also contains religious materials that are deaf-related as well as technology information. The collection also contains many newspapers that are by deaf and/or for deaf such as the Buff and Blue, DeafNation, the DCARA News, Knob Hill News, Deaf USA, Silent News, SIGNews, and The NAD Broadcaster.

The Shirley H. Platt Deaf Athletics collection comprises administrative documents, correspondence, financial records, and publications of the American Athletic Association of the Deaf (AAAD), USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF), USA Deaf Basketball, Inc. (USADB), and National Softball Association of the Deaf (NSAD) created and compiled by longtime AAAD leaders Shirley H. Platt and her husband, Dennis R. Platt. Subjects include AAAD organizational restructuring; AAAD National Sports Organization (NSO) administration; team and player statistics; tournament programs; AAAD Hall of Fame; World Games for the Deaf and Deaflympics; US Olympic Committee grants for cultivating athletes and coaches; Utah-based Deaf athletics clubs and support groups, including Utah Association of the Deaf; and other AAAD-affiliated, regional Deaf support organizations. Shirley Platt and Dennis Platt were active in AAAD leadership and also held positions in regional subsidiaries for many years, and their combined collection of papers contribute important research value to the historical understanding of these organizations and to Deaf athletics in the United States.

Collection contains records created by and/or used by United States of America Deaf Basketball. Material types include correspondence; financial records; membership and registration records; credentials and resumes; travel documents; tournament statistics, programs, and evaluations; meeting agendas and minutes; legal, tax, insurance, and disciplinary documents, miscellaneous informational documents, etc.

Collection includes items related to the Utah Association of the Deaf and other materials related to the Deaf community in Utah. Items include Utah Association of the Deaf meeting minutes, fliers, events, and other related materials. This collection also includes information about associations that no longer exist such as the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, Ogden Division. This collection offers an insight to the Deaf community in Utah and their history.