Silent Network - A Deaf Cable Channel

I came across this great article that I want to share with you!
http://deafness.about.com/cs/featurearticles/a/silentnetwork.htm

It is about a history of a Silent Network, a deaf cable channel were created for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community who hungered for TV programming that they could understand and enjoy. (This was before the advent of closed captioning.) But unfortunately for the creator of the channel got burned out and the Silent Network went away. However, the producer is now in the process of creating a NEW deaf television network, to be called "Sign City Television." (The name depicts a mythical city in which everyone knows sign language).

The producer brought up a great point when he quoted, "The African American community, with a population in the U.S. of approximately 19 million, has BET (Black Entertainment Network). The Hispanic community, with over 22 million population, has two major Spanish-language networks. There's a network for Koreans, Russians, French, Italians, Chinese and Japanese -- but what's out there for the deaf community? NOTHING."

The deaf or hard-of-hearing population is estimated by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to their 1990 and 1991 Health Interview Surveys, approximately 20 million persons, or 8.6 percent of the total U.S. population. It is interesting how there are channels for the minority, whereas there isn't one for the deaf and hard of hearing population.