List of deaf firsts

This is a list of deaf firsts noting the first time that a deaf person achieved a given historical feat. This list also includes some deafblind persons.

Academics

 * Ferdinand Berthier, French deaf educator, intellectual and political organiser, first deaf person to receive the Legion of Honour (1849)
 * Helen Keller, American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer, first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (1904)
 * Pierre Gorman, Australian librarian, academic and educator of children with disabilities, first deaf person to receive a PhD at Cambridge University (1960).
 * Geraldine Lawhorn, American musician, actress and instructor, first deafblind African-American person to earn a college degree (1983)
 * Irving King Jordan, American educator, first deaf president of Gallaudet University (1988)
 * Haben Girma, American lawyer and advocate, first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School (2013).

Sports

 * Ed Dundon, American baseball pitcher and first deaf player in MLB (1883-1884)
 * Lance Allred, American basketball forward and first legally-deaf NBA player (2008)

Actors

 * Marlee Matlin, American actress, first deaf winner of an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Children of a Lesser God (1986)
 * Troy Kotsur, American actor, first deaf man to win an Academy Award for acting; he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in CODA (2022)

Other

 * Henry Winter Syle, American cleric, first deaf person to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in the United States (1883).
 * Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, South African politician, first deaf female Member of Parliament in the world
 * Heather Whitestone, first deaf woman to win the title of Miss America (1995)
 * Heike Heubach, first deaf Member of the German Bundestag (2024)