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Not sure what you can do to participate in Deaf Awareness Week?  Try to find events in your local area, but if you’re having trouble finding a local Deaf Awareness Week event, a great thing to do is to learn something new about Deaf culture - read some articles, learn a few new signs, or watch a movie about a deaf story.

There are a number of movies that feature deaf stories.

Some of the most well known movies that feature deaf stories include:

• Children of a Lesser God (1986)
  Deaf actress Marlee Matlin won an Academy Award for her role in this film.

• The Miracle Worker (1962)
  Several movies have been made about the life of Helen Keller.  The original Miracle Worker movie came out in 1962 and starred Patty Duke. It was remade for television in 1979 with Melissa Gilbert and Patty Duke (again, but this time playing the role of Annie Sullivan instead of Helen Keller). It was remade again for television in 2000 by Disney.
  
  The most well known movies about Helen Keller are the Miracle Worker movies, but there were also several others made about her life, including Deliverance (1919), The Unconquered (1954), Helen Keller and Her Teacher (1970), Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues (1984), and Monday After the Miracle (1998).

• Johnny Belinda (1948)
  The original Johnny Belinda film was made in 1948 and it was one of the earliest movies dealing with deafness. It was remade in 1967 with actress Mia Farrow and remade again in 1982, which included actor Dennis Quaid.

• Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
  Actor Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal in this movie of a music teacher whose son is deaf.

Movies based on the lives of famous deaf people:

There are movies on Helen Keller (listed above), William Dummy Hoy (2007), Kitty O’Neil (1979), Esther Costello (1957) and others. For a newer released film, check out:

• The Hammer (2010)
  A movie based on the life of the first deaf NCAA Wrestling Champion and UFC Fighter Matt "The Hammer" Hamill.  Read a review.

Documentaries:

• Sound and Fury (2000)
  Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this documentary is about Deaf culture and one family’s struggle in deciding if their daughter should get cochlear implants.

• Through Deaf Eyes (2007)
  A PBS documentary exploring Deaf culture.

More Movies:

See a full list of more Deaf culture films and films that feature Deaf actors.