Deaf and hearing-impaired people are making social connections in Florida and elsewhere in new ways. Social networking websites like Facebook and Meetup make it easy to find friends and share hobbies and interests. While these online sites have opened up new avenues for connections between deaf people, there continue to be opportunities for socializing in more traditional ways in Florida.
Types
Social organizations in Florida for the deaf or hearing-impaired can best be understood as either traditional organizations or web-based groups. Traditional organizations are institutions or associations with a formal structure and a "brick and mortar" location. Web-based groups are more fluid, with new groups forming every day on websites like Facebook.com and Meetup.com.
Function: Traditional Social Organizations
Traditional social organizations keep you connected to your past and future. Gallaudet University for the deaf, founded in 1856, has more than 17,000 alumni and 52 alumni association chapters throughout the country and invites non-alumni to participate as subscribing members. The Florida Association of the Deaf, or F.A.D., advocates for the deaf statewide and publishes and updates information on deaf clubs and organizations through its website.
Function: Web-based Social Groups
Web-based groups encourage you to explore. New groups focusing on special interests form every day on Facebook and Meetup, providing a constantly evolving platform to share a passion and make a friend. As of August 2010, there were 92 groups on Facebook related to the deaf in Florida, including Deaf Florida Bikers, South Florida Deaf Events, Deaf Scrapbook Club and the Florida Deaf Golfers Association. On Meetup, there were several groups for the deaf including Ortho Scuba, for disabled divers and their dive buddies, centered in Ft. Lauderdale.
Misconception: Web-based Groups are for Young People
Some mistakenly believe that only young people use Facebook and Meetup to make friends. That's not true. As of January 2010, 6.5 million Facebook users were 55 to 65 years old. Deaf Florida, a Facebook group with 959 members, is for deaf Floridians of all ages from Miami, Tampa and Orlando to meet. On Meetup, the focus of The South Florida Hard of Hearing & ASL Group is 18- to 35-year-olds, but the group emphasizes that all ages are welcomed.
Misconception: Web-based Groups Never Meet in Person
Being part of a web-based social group can easily lead to meeting new friends in person. As of August 2010, Facebook's St. Augustine Deaf Night Out, or D.N.O., group, for example, meets regularly and encourages deaf people from St. Augustine, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami and Orlando to attend its events; Deaf Miami Book Club meets regularly at Books & Books in Coral Gables.
