In honor of Deaf Awareness Month, the Seahawks interviewed Jason Viglianco: longtime Seahawks superfan who is deaf. Last year, he attended gameday alongside football players from Washington School for the Deaf.
How long have you been a Seahawks fan?
"Since 1988."
How long have you been a season ticketholder?
"Since 1997 after Paul Allen saved our team. I was involved in the Seahawks stadium campaign for some time. I was at Union Station where the Seahawks hosted a party for election evening. The new stadium vote passed. We celebrated and we watched Paul Allen playing the guitar on the stage. I will never forget that."
Could you share what your experience is when you go to a game and how you experience the game as someone who is deaf?
"I began [my journey] as a season ticket holder at the Kingdome. The Kingdome was much louder than Lumen Field because the roof was cement. Noise level was steady. I didn't wear my hearing aids at that time. So, I remember that I could hear the noise a bit. Also, I saw a deaf kid signing the National Anthem on the field before every home game. The deaf kids were from Northwest School for the Deaf in Shoreline. My good friend Kate Spencer signed on the field twice in the 1990s. In the 1990s, most deaf people in Seattle didn't care about the Seahawks because they were mediocre at that time, but I still attended the games and watched the games when they were on the road. One of my deaf friends told me that I'm the only one deaf Seahawks fan that knows everything about the Seahawks like A to Z. During the era of Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks soared. I was glad to see more deaf people were eager to watch the Seahawks games. Most of them cannot afford the Seahawks game tickets because they were so expensive, but I invited them with the same price that I purchased every season because I wanted them to enjoy the game. The Seahawks finally won the super bowl in early 2014. I was shocked to see how many deaf people participated in the Super Bowl Parade. I decided to create "Deaf Seahawks Nation" on Facebook and I do the vlog weekly or biweekly, because most of deaf Seahawks fans didn't understand what the Seahawks news said. Their first language is ASL. I wanted to explain what [the Seahawks] meant to them. They understood. I'm trying to help the deaf Seahawks fans as much as I can. I work at Work Opportunities as an Employment Specialist III for an individual with Deaf, DeafBlind, and DeafPlus and I help them to maintain their jobs or help them to find a new job. I've been involved in the equity committee for a few years and I understand DEI. DEI is important to the Seahawks. A few weeks ago, I was at the Seahawks fan fest and I met DK Metcalf after practice. DK and I had a brief ASL conversation. Most Seahawks fans were shocked, but they were impressed. DK is a wonderful person to the fans!"
As a thank you for helping the Seahawks support Deaf Awareness Month, we are hosting a Jersey Giveaway on our social channels.
