ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — April is Deaf History Month. It’s a time to highlight the importance of inclusivity and equal accessibility for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or experiencing hearing loss. 

As part of that, RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and local libraries are hosting the Big Read. This is a month-long community project featuring exhibits and events on Ilya Kaminsky’s ‘Deaf Republic.” 

Organizers tell News 8 the themes in his work — of language, power, and community in the context of political violence — are so significant in light of the current situation in Ukraine. 

“The Big Read’s entire goal is really to gather the community together,” Dr. Jill Bradbury with RIT’s NTID explained. “In collaboration, we learn from each other, we share different perspectives of the same book that we’re reading and to make connections and NTID is thrilled to collaborate with Monroe county library system for this program.” 

To learn more about the schedule of events, visit their website.