The Rochester Red Wings (Class AAA; International League) have announced plans for Deaf Culture Day, which will take place at Frontier Field on April 28.
Students, faculty and staff at RIT/NTID and RSD and their families can get $2 off tickets by using a special promo code that will be supplied them.
The Red Wings will partner with the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and the Rochester School for the Deaf for the promotion.
“We are proud to partner with NTID and Rochester School for the Deaf for Deaf Culture Day so we can celebrate the deaf community and the important impact deaf citizens have had in Rochester. We look forward to hosting many deaf members of the Rochester community and their families while also educating all fans about deaf culture,” said Wings GM Dan Mason.
“Throughout history, baseball and the deaf community have been intertwined,” said NTID President Gerry Buckley. “And Rochester, which is known as ‘Sign City,’ is home to a historic deaf community. Furthermore, deaf and hard-of-hearing fans have been among the most loyal Red Wings followers. RIT/NTID is proud of its own history of deaf baseball players and is proud to partner with the Rochester Red Wings.”
The Wings will wear specialty jerseys and caps to celebrate the day. The jerseys will feature “Red Wings” in American Sign Language across the chest, while the cap will have the ASL “R” on the front with the Spikes logo on the side. The jerseys will be auctioned off using the LiveSource mobile app, with proceeds benefitting both NTID and RSD.
There will be dozens of interpreters stationed throughout the ballpark on April 28 including in the seating bowl, at concession stands and at the ticket offices to assist deaf individuals. Portions of the game will be captioned on the videoboard for the first time ever courtesy of NTID.
Other aspects of the day include a silent inning where there will be no PA announcements or music of any kind. We’ll also be highlighting deaf individuals who have made a significant impact in society throughout the game.
As part of Deaf Culture Day, the Wings will welcome back the only superhero to ever roam the grounds of Frontier field. Ogden Whitehead, an NTID grad and former Red Wings employee, will reprise his role as “Recycleman” and lead the crowd in some of the cheers that made him famous during his time with the Red Wings in the late 90s and early 2000s.