04/15/2026
North Carolina Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Statement from Council Chair Michael Tyler Evola
April 15, 2026
American Sign Language Day
American Sign Language is a vibrant language, and today we recognize its role in shaping the culture of the Deaf community in North Carolina.
ASL is more than a means of communication, it is a pathway to connection, identity, and access. For millions of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, it provides the ability to engage fully in life through employment, education, civic life, and community. Recognizing and respecting ASL as a language is essential to advancing equity and inclusion in our community.
As a Hard of Hearing individual, I have found that learning ASL has been transformative in my own life. It has strengthened my ability to communicate with and deepened my connection to the Deaf community.
The North Carolina Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing remains firmly committed to dismantling communication access barriers in all forms. Whether in government services, public spaces, education, or healthcare, access to effective communication is not optional, it is a fundamental right. Advancing accessibility is central to our mission.
On this day, we reaffirm our dedication to ensuring that everyone has equal access to information, services, and opportunities. By uplifting ASL and the Deaf community and intentionally removing barriers, we help foster a more equitable and accessible community where people with hearing loss can live as independently as those without.
