Waikato Deaf Society Inc History

Embarking on this project is a privilege and a crucial step in preserving the rich tapestry of our Deaf community’s history. Each story, memory, photo, and video we collect through engaging interviews is a valuable detail that contributes to our community’s vibrant narrative.

The number of our esteemed older Deaf ex-members (over 76 years) of the Waikato Deaf Society Inc. is declining in Waikato, with three in Australia and a couple in Auckland. Their children, now adults, are scattered around Waikato and beyond, a testament to the far-reaching impact of their parents’ contributions to our community.

The ex-members are lifelong members of the Waikato Deaf Society Inc., and the remaining members are the Posthumous Members Lifelong. Unfortunately, these members did not receive awards between 1999 and 2004, a significant period when the Waikato Deaf Society Inc. dissolved. This period marked a transition in our community, and it’s essential to acknowledge and document this part of our history.  

Finding a time and day to meet them in person or over video chat is critical, like Zoom interviews. With their permission, the video recording of their stories can be shown on the WordPress website Waikato Deaf Society Inc. Last time, I organised everything. I went to see the Deaf couple, but in the end, another Deaf person was there to pop in, which blew my timing. I left to visit another person and chat about the planning. 

I need help organising by juggling my work hours and meetings with Government Agencies like EGL Leadership Waikato and the National EGL. It is excellent that someone is helping me, and we occasionally communicate with Australia and Auckland. Several times, we attempted to visit one of our earliest members, who was away from home and who had difficulty reading on mobile. 

I posted a short video about this project on my Facebook pages early this year, and I am still waiting for the photos and stories of the members from the 1970s to 2004. It is challenging to keep reminding them when they said they would do it. The same is true for the other project about Waikato Deaf Units. 

Their stories, photos and videos of the activities, such as the Indoor Bowl and fashion parade, are critical to preserving the history of the Waikato Deaf Society Inc. and Waikato Deaf Units to many readers, audiences and students in Education to learn about us. Many readers and audiences did not know we have a history of the Waikato Deaf community, such as Deaf clubs and Deaf Units in schools for many years.