Hidalgo County Declares September National Deaf Awareness Month

EDINBURG – During last week’s Commissioners Court meeting, County Clerk Arturo Guajardo, Jr. and Hidalgo County Precinct 2 Commissioner Eduardo “Eddie” Cantu sponsored a proclamation declaring September as National Deaf Awareness Month. 

The deaf population includes a wide range of individuals, from those who were born profoundly deaf and use American Sign Language (ASL) as a primary means of communication to those with a degree of hearing loss who use hearing aids or other forms of amplifications and communication modes.

The purpose of Deaf Awareness Month is to increase public awareness of the issues and the culture of people who are deaf, and to promote equal access to information and services for deaf individuals and to educate the public about the misconceptions of being deaf.

Among those in attendance were organizations and individuals from the deaf community. That included Gregorio Mata, a Deputy County Clerk for the County Clerk’s Office. Mata, who is deaf, was the subject of a video that premiered following the reading of the proclamation. It showed a day in the life of Mata as he works alongside his hearing co-workers and how he communicates with them and the public.

“We are proud to have hired Gregorio to work in our office,” said Guajardo. “He has taught us much about the deaf community, but mostly he has taught us about tenacity and dedication.”