DeafBlind Awareness Week brings national attention to the estimated 2.4 million Americans who experience combined hearing and vision loss. The observance dates back to 1984, when President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5214, designating the last week of June as Helen Keller DeafBlind Awareness Week in honor of Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27.
This year’s theme, “Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” centers touch as the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community, from Protactile language, tactile sign language, and Haptics to braille, assistive technology, and everyday interaction.
The state and local proclamations gathered here recognize DeafBlind Awareness Week 2026. Each builds on a template HKNC develops every year so advocates and organizations nationwide can request similar recognition from their own governors, mayors, and local officials. If your state, city, or community has issued a proclamation of its own, share it with your HKNC regional representative, and we will add it to this growing list.
For more on this year’s campaign, visit www.helenkeller.org/dbaw2026.
Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds signed Iowa’s proclamation on June 23, 2026, designating June 25 through July 1, 2026, as DeafBlind Awareness Week in the state. The proclamation notes that approximately 10,000 Iowans live with DeafBlindness or combined hearing and vision loss, and it names this year’s theme directly, recognizing touch as the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community. It also acknowledges the range of communication methods DeafBlind individuals use, from tactile sign language, Protactile language, and Haptics to fingerspelling, braille, speech, and assistive technologies.
The Iowa Department for the Blind paired the proclamation with a week of daily virtual presentations running June 25 through July 1, featuring DeafBlind Iowans, state leaders, university faculty, and HKNC’s Great Plains Regional Representative Beth Jordan.
Kansas
Governor Laura Kelly signed Kansas’ proclamation on May 29, 2026, designating June 25 through July 1, 2026, as DeafBlind Awareness Week in the state. The proclamation notes that approximately 23,238 Kansans live with DeafBlindness or combined hearing and vision loss, and it names this year’s theme directly, recognizing touch as the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community.
The signing was coordinated by HKNC’s Great Plains Regional Representative Beth Jordan, joined by her Administrative Assistant Michele McClain, four DeafBlind Kansans and their family members, and Robert Cooper, Director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Fittingly, the Governor signed the proclamation at a desk built decades ago by students at the Kansas School for the Deaf.
Image description: Four DeafBlind Kansans and their family members stand behind Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who is seated at a large wooden desk holding the signed proclamation honoring DeafBlind Awareness Week. Also present are Robert Cooper, Director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, CoNavigators, and HKNC staff members Michele McClain and Beth Jordan. Everyone is smiling. Three of the women are holding white canes, and one man is wearing a monocular device on his eyeglasses. An American flag and a Kansas flag are in the background.
Kentucky
Governor Andy Beshear signed Kentucky’s proclamation on June 2, 2026, designating June 25 through July 1, 2026, as DeafBlind Awareness Week in the Commonwealth. The proclamation notes that approximately 50,000 Kentuckians experience combined hearing and vision loss and points to Helen Keller as a guiding example of courage, hope, determination, and achievement for other DeafBlind individuals. It also recognizes the Commonwealth of Kentucky DeafBlind Interagency Team, a multi-agency collaboration that includes the Kentucky Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the University of Kentucky DeafBlind Project, the Department of Education, the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, and the Helen Keller National Center Southeast.
The Governor’s proclamation was presented alongside the Louisville Metro proclamation at a community ceremony hosted by The Council on Developmental Disabilities at The Village at West Jefferson on June 26, gathering DeafBlind individuals, families, service providers, and supporters to mark the start of the week.
View Kentucky DBAW Proclamation
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville Metro Mayor Craig Greenberg proclaimed June 25 through July 1, 2026, as Helen Keller DeafBlind Awareness Week in Louisville, urging all residents to observe the recognition. The Mayor’s proclamation was presented alongside the Kentucky Governor’s proclamation at a community ceremony hosted by The Council on Developmental Disabilities at The Village at West Jefferson on June 26, bringing together DeafBlind individuals, families, service providers, and supporters to celebrate Helen Keller’s birthday and honor the DeafBlind community across the Commonwealth.
View Louisville Metro DBAW Proclamation
Maryland
Governor Wes Moore signed Maryland’s proclamation on June 25, 2026, designating June 25 through July 1, 2026, as DeafBlind Awareness Week in the state. The proclamation notes that approximately 30,000 Marylanders identify as DeafBlind or live with combined hearing and vision loss, and it names this year’s theme directly, recognizing touch as the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community in their everyday interactions. It also commits the state to increasing awareness of DeafBlindness, celebrating the contributions of DeafBlind Marylanders, and promoting greater accessibility, inclusion, and equity for all.
The proclamation arrives as the Maryland Governor’s Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing prepares to expand and rename itself the Office for the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing, formally recognizing DeafBlind Marylanders within the state’s existing access infrastructure.
View Maryland DBAW Proclamation
New Jersey
Governor Mikie Sherrill signed New Jersey’s proclamation designating June 25 through July 1, 2026, as Helen Keller DeafBlind Awareness Week in the state. The proclamation notes that approximately 83,000 New Jersey residents have combined vision and hearing loss, and it names this year’s theme directly. It also draws a unique historical connection: Helen Keller’s advocacy on behalf of New Jersey’s blind and DeafBlind residents directly influenced the creation of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind & Visually Impaired in 1910.
Read the full New Jersey proclamation
North Carolina
Governor Josh Stein signed North Carolina’s proclamation on May 26, 2026, designating June 2026 as DeafBlind Awareness Month in the state. The proclamation notes that approximately 84,000 North Carolinians have combined hearing and vision loss, and it points to Helen Keller as an example of courage, hope, determination, and achievement among the DeafBlind population. It also recognizes a wide cross-section of North Carolina partners working collaboratively to support DeafBlind residents, including the NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Division of Services for the Blind, the Department of Public Instruction, the NC DeafBlind Project, North Carolina DeafBlind Associates, Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities, Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, RHA Health Services, and the Helen Keller National Center Southeast.
View North Carolina DBAW Proclamation
Pennsylvania
Governor Josh Shapiro signed Pennsylvania’s proclamation on June 11, 2026, designating June 25 through July 1, 2026, as DeafBlind Awareness Week in the Commonwealth. The proclamation notes that approximately 97,160 Pennsylvanians, or 0.75 percent of residents, live with DeafBlindness or combined hearing and vision loss, and it names this year’s theme directly, recognizing touch as the foundation of connection for the DeafBlind community.
View Pennsylvania DBAW Proclamation
More to Come
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania are leading the way, and more state and local proclamations are expected to follow. If your state, city, or community has issued a proclamation of its own, share it with your HKNC regional representative, and we will add it to this growing list.
For the original announcement and the story behind these proclamations, read the DBAW 2026 Proclamations blog post.
For more on this year’s “Connected by Touch: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” campaign, visit www.helenkeller.org/dbaw2026.