Deaf people have been heavily excluded and labeled throughout history. Deaf people have experienced many negative life-changing events. Throughout history, deaf people have been excluded from many different opportunities that hearing people are happy to provide. For example, communicating is something we all do, but at one point, deaf people weren't even allowed to sign. Deaf people have been a strong community and have made a huge difference in the way we communicate with each other today. There are many famous deaf actors, artists, musicians, etc. all of which have had an impact on deaf culture. One man who had an impact on the use of ASL was Chuck Baird, a famous deaf artist. Chuck Baird was born February 22, 1947, in Kansas City, where he attended the Kansas School for the Deaf and then Gallaudet College for two years. After Gallaudet University, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio painting in 1974 from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Since Deaf culture does not have specific food, clothing, or music associated with their culture. people, the focus is usually on material culture. These include things like TTYs (text phones), flashing lights, closed captions, and interpreters. Material culture may consist of paintings or images that the deaf community can relate to. “Some deaf artists believe that visual art can be a 'way of life' for deaf people and a part of deaf culture, in the same way that music is a way of life for hearing society. Visual art can enlighten both deaf and hearing observers by presenting experiences that reflect a deaf person's worldview. This, in turn, can strengthen a deaf observer's sense of identity within deaf culture” (Miller 1989, p..