Deaf History: Caribbean

The Caribbean here refers to the islands in and around the Caribbean Sea, from Cuba in the northwest, down to Trinidad and Tobago, just off the coast of Venezuela in the southeast, and includes Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana on the South American mainland and Belize on the Central American coast. The Deaf communities of the Caribbean have distinct but overlapping histories. Many of these communities first grew out of schools established over the course of the 20th century and have been influenced by contact with educators and missionaries from Europe and North America. Despite their distinct histories, there has been contact between the different communities within the region, through schools, churches, and, most recently, the Internet. The turn of the 21st century has seen ...