Members of Maine’s Deaf Community kicked off Deaf Culture Week on Thursday at a gathering at the state house in Augusta, honoring the memory of loved ones lost and hurt in the mass shooting in Lewiston in October 2023.

“October 25 impacted all of us here in Maine, and particularly the Deaf community because we are such a tight-knit community,” said Terry Morrell, director of the division for the deaf, hard of hearing and late deafened at the Maine Department of Labor.

The event, described as a Deaf Tea, included more than 80 people gathering in the Hall of Flags. This is the 33rd year the state has hosted the annual event, either at the statehouse or the Blaine House.

Each year, the gathering marks the beginning of Deaf Culture Week in Maine. This year, the week runs from Sept. 22-28. 

During the mass shooting in Lewiston on Oct. 25, 2023, four members of the deaf community were shot and killed, including notable deaf interpreter and Deaf community activist Joshua Seal.

Thursday’s event honored Seal with a posthumous lifetime achievement award. During the presentation, fellow community members acknowledged Seal’s work creating the Dirigo Experience at Pine Tree Camp in Rome in 2021. The annual experience offers young deaf people a chance to meet and be together during the summer.

Kellynette Gomez, an adult service navigator at the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and keynote speaker Thursday, said she had been a counselor at the camp in the past. She praised Seal and fellow activist Kevin Bohlin for creating the experience.

“Josh and Kevin saw that many deaf young people were isolated in the greater community and did not have contact with peers who were like them,” she said.

The annual tea honors members of the community, businesses and organizations that have contributed to or helped the Deaf community in Maine during the year. Along with Seal, the tea also issued awards to five other people and one business for their work.

Thursday’s tea also featured discussions about careers for deaf people in Maine. One of the presenters, Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman, said that the department assisted 989 deaf individuals in 2023 alone, helping 131 people find jobs.

“We believe that the workforce should be reflective of our communities, and all of us working together is what will allow our state to thrive,” she said.