Deaf community in Frederick County, Maryland

A large deaf community exists in Frederick County, Maryland partly due to the Maryland School for the Deaf, the county's proximity to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and a large number of government jobs. One estimate suggests that as many as 50,000 people in Frederick County and the surrounding area may be deaf or hard of hearing, and that 3,000 people in the city of Frederick may be deaf or hard of hearing. A 2013 census estimated that 8,000 people in Frederick County experience hearing difficulty. An estimated 1.2 million people in Maryland are deaf or hard of hearing and there are more than 75 deaf-owned businesses in Maryland.
History.
The Maryland School for the Deaf opened in downtown Frederick in 1867 and is probably a large factor in the reason that Frederick has a large deaf community. In 2020, one resident stated that there is a good chance of someone knowing American Sign Language everywhere she goes.
Movie theaters in the area provide open caption screenings and access to caption-glasses to cater to the deaf community. Open-captioned screenings on blockbuster opening weekends are typically busy.
Education.
Maryland School for the Deaf was established in 1867 as the Maryland Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. The school operates a campus in Frederick which serves approximately four hundred students. From birth until the age of 21, the school provides free, public education for deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents.
Businesses.
In Maryland, there are more than 75 deaf-owned businesses. There are more than ten deaf-owned businesses in the city of Frederick and the Maryland Governor's Office reported that, of Maryland deaf and hard of hearing business owners, Frederick County has the largest percentage at 35 percent.
Maryland Deaf Community Center.
Twenty-two deaf organizations in Frederick County joined together to create the Maryland Deaf Community Center.
Religion.
Frederick Church of the Brethren Deaf Fellowship Service began in 1971 and had approximately 100 members in 2018. The Table Church is another deaf congregation in Frederick. Deaf Calvary Church in Walkersville, Maryland, caters exclusively to deaf people.
Accessibility issues.
There is a need for increased housing in Frederick in order to allow graduating students of the Maryland School for the Deaf to remain in the area.