Useful tips when interacting with people with hearing Impairments
International Week of the Deaf (abbreviated as IW Deaf; used to be IWD) is celebrated annually the last full week of September (Monday through Sunday). You may also hear this week called Deaf Awareness Week, but the official name is International Week of the Deaf. It is celebrated by national and regional associations of the deaf, local communities, and all individuals worldwide. History The first International Day of the Deaf was first celebrated by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in 1958. The day of awareness was later extended to a full week, becoming the International Week of the Deaf (IWD) . 1 The World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is an international, non-governmental organization of national associations of Deaf people and is recognized by the United Nations (UN) as their spokes-organization to promote the human rights of Deaf people. 2 The WFD is composed of 130 national associations of the deaf 3 and represents approximately 70 million Deaf people wor