Becoming a legislator is one of the toughest challenges a deaf individual can undertake. First, it means being in the right place at the right time and winning a seat. Fortunately, in the 21st century, an increasing number of deaf individuals are entering the political arena at the municipal, regional, and national levels. In North America and Europe, deaf individuals have been elected to public office. As the following list reveals, there have been at least 15 deaf people elected to high public office:

• 1.
  Francis Humberstone MacKenzie, Sixth Lord Seaforth, Scotland, 1784
• 2.
  Jack Ashley, MP British Parliament, 1966
• 3.
  Kevin Nolan, City Councillor of Northhampton in Massachusetts, United States, 1986
• 4.
  Gary Malkowski, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) of York East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1990
• 5.
  David Buxton, District Councillor in London, ...