

The Deaf Cultural Center in Olathe is a hidden gem of a museum. Deaf culture is a vibrant, interesting and diverse culture, and the DCC showcases it wonderfully. We enjoyed the art workshop, the engaging storyteller and had a great time learning food signs!
The self-guided tour gave us insight into all the various devices a deaf person or family can use – lights that flash when someone rings a doorbell, closed captioning on a television program, and of course email and texting! We also were able to learn about various famous deaf people in a variety of career fields.
My kids especially loved learning a variety of food signs. Some are very straightforward, like peeling a banana to sign banana, or shaping a hamburger patty to sign hamburger. Some take a little more thinking – forming the sign for pear is like drawing a pear shape over your finger. A few were just plain wonderful, like signing peas by making a row of peas in a pod! The kids have continued to sign for the foods we have eaten, and have asked to learn more. A tour that leaves the kids asking to learn more is definitely a good tour!
I highly recommend taking a tour of the Deaf Cultural Center. The staff and volunteers gave us a warm welcome, and the workshop was highly engaging. The museum is compact but full of interesting displays that gave us a fuller picture of the deaf community. While at the museum, look at the calendar of events, and check out the class listings for ASL classes. The museum is worth the trip!

