NIU kicks off its 20th annual Deaf Awareness Week with special events hosted around campus.

Events are open to anyone wishing to learn more about deaf culture and its community, said Maggie Cormier, a counselor in the Program for Hearing Impaired.

Cormier invites students to experience what life is like for people who are deaf or hard of hearing in the Holmes Student Center Regency Room today at 7 p.m.

“Participants will have an opportunity to see how the everyday life activities that hearing people take for granted are accommodated in the deaf community,” Cormier said.

Participants will also examine the importance of technology, knowledge and compassion for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, she said.

On Wednesday, speakers will demonstrate how the promotion of deaf awareness is a part of their everyday lives, while Thursday’s activity aims to show how the deaf community can appreciate music through sign language, Cormier said.

“We hope the participants will leave each event with a better understanding of deaf culture and how it impacts the lives of people who are deaf or hard of hearing,” Cormier said.

The last event, scheduled for Friday, is “Through Deaf Eyes,” an event exploring the history of deafness.

Cormier hopes that through this week of awareness, people become educated about the unique community that exists around the NIU and DeKalb neighborhoods.

“The coordination of this week’s events is a way to invite people to accept and embrace another unique group in the already diverse community here at NIU,” Cormier said.

All events are free and open to the public. Deaf Awareness Week is sponsored by DeafPride, the Center for Access-Ability Resources, Program for Hearing Impaired, Women’s Resource Center and Unity in Diversity.