Through Deaf Eyes , a two-hour documentary that explores nearly 200 years of d eaf life in America , airs Wednesday, March 21 at 9/8 p.m . CT on KET1. The program examines family life, education, work and community connections f rom the perspective of deaf citizens.

Narrated by act ress Stockard Channing, Through Deaf Eyes includes interviews with former Gallaudet University president Dr. I. King Jordan, actors Marlee Matlin and Bernard Bragg, as well as historians and\~deaf Americans with diverse\~views on language use, technology and identity. The documentary also presents s ix artistic works by d eaf media artists and filmmakers. These segments , woven throughout the program, draw on the a rtists' own lives.

Through Deaf Eyes traces the evolution of deaf education, from the founding of the first school for the deaf in 1817 to the 1864 chartering of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the only place that deaf people could earn a college degree in a signing environment to the late-20 th century "mainstreaming" movement.

The complicated role of technology in the lives of deaf people is also explored , including the invention of teletype machines, closed-c aptioning and the controversial issues surrounding cochlear implants, now used by more deaf children and adult s than ever before .

A comprehensive Web site, /pbs/throughdeafeyes">www.pbs.org/throughdeafeyes , accompanies the film. The site , which launches this month , includes interviews with the six media artists featured in the documentary, and invites viewers to submit their own stories, photographs and films. These will become part of the archival collection of Gallaudet University .

KET and the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) will host a panel discussion on Saturday, March 17 from 6 to 9 p .m. at Todd Hall in Louisville's Kentucky Center, to open dialogue between individuals in Kentucky's deaf and hard - of - hearing community and those who interact with that community , including parents, vendors and service partners. Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, executive director of KCDHH and president of the National Association of the Deaf, will facilitate the discussion. The event is open to the public.

Through Deaf Eyes is a co- production of WETA / Washington and Florentine Films/Hott Productions in association with Gallaudet University.