Author honors deaf history of Maryland

Kay Brockway, a Bowie Maryland author, has already written the book Baltimore’s Deaf Heritage that explores the lives of various notable deaf individuals local to the area that Brockway considers to be the “unsung heroes in deaf history.” Her book includes George W. Veditz, the Reverend Daniel. El Moylan, and George Michael “Dummy” Leitner.

In an interview with an ASL interpreter, Brockway shared possible future plans to write about the city of Frederick, Maryland’s deaf community as a whole, instead of focusing on the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick that she’s previously covered.

Brockway and photographer, Bob Geary, worked together on her book on Baltimore, and they may again work together on the Frederick project. Geary does not have a start date to begin photographing Frederick residents though.

Geary’s involvement began with his photographing a logo on the side of a rubber heel factory called the Cat’s Paw. Brockway later told him that they were known employers of the deaf.

“Knowing the history behind the building now that it’s abandoned was interesting, you know?” Geary said.

It is this rousing of interest and the realization of how the deaf contributed that Brockway seeks from her readers.

“I want to tell hearing people that we’re part of Baltimore history, and we’re part of the history of this country,” she said.

Brockway is optimistic to write a book every year on a specific city or area that details the deaf history. Upcoming projects include Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

She is also working on a series for the Internet on “deaf history and issues” and hopes they will eventually be put onto DVDs to be used in classrooms.

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