Will Fertman

@willfertman

Father and author of The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual, available now from Bloomsbury Academic: All opinions are my own. More opinions at:

3.151 Folgt1.141 Follower1.778 Posts

Website Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir willfertman.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jul 13

Bloomsbury is having a summer sale, which means that The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual is available under $20. If you're the parent of a #deafkid or a professional who works with them, pick up a copy before the new school year starts, and read it on the beach! www.bloomsbury.com/us/deaf-baby...

Cover of a book, The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual, a guide for parents of deaf or hard of hearing children from birth through kindergarten, by Will Fertman, forward by Dr. Wyatte Hall and Dr. Kimberley Ofori-Sanzo. The cover shows a happy Black baby looking directly out towards the reader. Three cameo images at the top show parents interacting with their young children. A large orange sun-shape with "30% OFF" is superimposed over the cover. The cover blub reads "'Every parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child should read this book.'—Dr. Naomi Caselli, co-director, The Deaf Center at Boston University.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jul 4

Felt the most patriotic I’ve been in a long time this afternoon. Had to mail some packages from my hometown to my current address. Daniel the postal worker was kind and helpful, the best of America.

Image of a wall at a post office, with a nameplate reading “Daniel” in green calligraphy. The wall is adorned with stickers, including Star Wars and Studio Ghibli themes.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jun 24

Just learned of the passing of Carlo Ginzburg, author of one of my favorite books, the Cheese and the Worms. . www.history.ox.ac.uk/article/carl...

Cover of the book, The Cheese and the Worms, by Carlo Ginzburg. The cover is dark blue, with a circular red image of a bearded medieval man reading a book while walking through farm fields, with a windmill in the background. Text: In the tradition of Mountaullou and A Distant Mirror, The Cheese and the Worms, the Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller, Carlo Ginzburg.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jun 23

#freecomicbookday comics at the library—is Archie rocking #disabilitypride merch?

Cover of an Archie comic. In the center is Archie Andrews, a red-headed teenager wearing a black t-shirt with the striped disability rights flag pattern. Surrounding him our images of other Archie characters: jughead and hot dog, Sabrina, the teenage witch, and Betty and Veronica. Text: free comic book day, The World of Archie. Featuring Betty and Veronica, and Sabrina, the teenage witch.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jun 22

More from the county fair.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jun 22

Went to the Alameda County Fair with the family yesterday and encountered this intriguing sign in the small animal show:

Photo of a large banner hanging in the interior of an exhibit hall, showing a green and yellow parakeet, with the title "Poultry" underneath.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jun 18

I'm very happy to announce that I have joined the board of California Educators of the Deaf as their Director of Family Involvement! Looking forward to building connections with families and educators across the state to better support our #deafkids. cal-ed.org

Will Fertman@willfertman· Jun 6

Moving houses.

Image of a fortress made from white cardboard banker's boxes. An elementary aged child is dimly visible through a window in the structure.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 30

Going to Fresno tomorrow to do another talk on reading books to #deafkids. If you're in the area, I'll be at DHHSC at 1pm. It's always a good time!

Flier for an event, with a key photo of an elementary-aged child reading a large yellow book. Text:

READ TO YOUR DEAF/HH CHILD
FREE WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY FOR:
PARENTS OF DEAF/HH KIDS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, TEACHERS OF DEAF/ HH KIDS, INTERPRETERS.

PRESENTER: WILL FERTMAN, PARENT AND AUTHOR OF THE DEAF BABY INSTRUCTION MANUAL

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2026
1PM TO 4PM
DHHSC HEADQUARTERS
5340 N. FRESNO ST
FRESNO, CA 93710
LEARN ABOUT...

BOOKS AS PARENTING TOOLS
THE BENEFITS OF READING-BEYOND LITERACY
OVER 70 GREAT KID'S BOOKS TO READ TO YOUR DEAF/HH CHILD IN ENGLISH OR ASL
SPONSORED BY:
FIRST5 FRESNO COUNTY
Their Future First
Connect. Inspire. Succeed.
DHHSC, DEAF & HARD OF HEARING SERVICE CENTER
For more information, contact Jesse Lewis at JesseL@DHHSC.org or call 559-225-3323. Registration is not required. ASL Intepreters will be provided!

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 29

going through the car for overdue library books. This was ONE footwell.

Photograph of the backseat of a car. It is incredibly messy, with food, wrappers tissue boxes, and assorted debris. On the seat is a 3 foot high stack of children’s books.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 26

Meanwhile, at the book launch for The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual... www.bloomsbury.com/us/deaf-baby-instruction-manual-9798765189375/

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 25

Packing for a move and I come across some striking juxtapositions.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 21

Should have mentioned, but my new Comics Club discovery is The Accursed Vampire by @madmcgrane.bsky.social. It's old news—there's already a sequel out—but I was really struck by how smart this story about bloodsucking scamps was. A great way to talk about relationships and self-worth with #deafkids

Three vampire kid friends stand in an overgrown graveyard extolling the virtues of autumn blood. Vamp 1 is entirely bald and stark white, wiping blood from their mouth with a handkerchief. "Blood always testes best in October." Vamp 2 is a Black child with snake-like eyes and a modern pink sweater: "Something about the crisp air and the warm, zesty blood." Vamp 3 is a brown-skinned child in modern overalls and a striped shirt: "I think it tastes the same as ever, delicious."

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 13

The younger one crammed all his stuffed animals into a sleeping bag to create a single mega-stuffie he named Big Boi. The Boi was a nighttime companion for about a week before dissolving into his constituent parts.

Photograph of a child's room. A kid in a rainbow tie-die shirt stands in front of his bed, holding the tail end of sleeping bag tightly filled with material, a big blue stuffed animal peeking out from the opening. The child's face is out of the frame.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 10

Guess I know what I'm doing tonight.

Photo of a hand holding a book against the backdrop of a messy table. The book is Mother Tongue, a memoir by Sara Nović "New York Times bestselling author of True Biz." It's a yellow hardcover with large modern black lettering. The black letters have white letters in ASL overlaid. Behind the book on the table is an open cardboard package and a stack of the kind of paper crap that accumulates in a busy household with kids: art, children's books, unread magazines, etc.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 9

I had a chance to present my "read to your deaf kid" talk at Language First's Early Language Center in Manchester Connecticut. It was a BLAST. And I look maniacal in this picture.

A midde-aged white man in an orange sweater is giving a presentation in a small room, gesturing maniacally. In his hand he holds an open children's book showing a gray-and-brown landscape made from triangles (the book is Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen.) In the background on the right is a large screen showing a small child reading. The titles say, "Theory Of Mind. Predict action, guess motivation, "inhabit" characters and watch you..." (cut off.) On the left is a poster displaying ASL signs. "ASL Kindness day. Kind. Nice. Forgive. Respect. Compassionate. Sharing."

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 9

I can't believe I haven't mentioned 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill & Nancy Carpenter. It's wet-your-pants funny and holds up on repeated reads. Incidentally, it's not too hard to sign in ASL for your #deafkid, too.

A middle aged white man in an orange sweater stands in a small room giving a presentation. He's holding a battered children's book up: 17 Things I'm Not Allowed To Do Anymore by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter. On the wall behind him is an analog clock whose face shows numbers in ASL. A small sign on the door behind him says "Suite 205 Language First."

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 7

Still from Max Headroom. The head and shoulders of a "computer animated" white man wearing a white jacket, white glasses and bow tie on an abstract background.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

And all in all, it was an extraordinary day of community and absolutely the book launch I wanted for a book about making connections!

A middle aged white man stands shoulder-to-shoulder with an older white woman and a middle aged white woman. He wears a shirt that reads American Sign Language is a Human Right.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

I was lucky to be joined by two Deaf authors, @rzemach.bsky.social and Noelle Wilder (plus one Deaf buddy who muscled her way onto stage,) for a panel discussion after my reading of the book.

Four adults sit in chairs on a stage. They are an older white woman, a middle aged white man, a middle aged white woman with a small white dog in her lap, and a young Black woman, who is signing in ASL.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

And scads of amazing community groups and service providers for families with Deaf kids.

Two white women happily chat in ASL across a table. The customer stands in front of a sign that reads "The Signing SLP". The titular SLP sits in a chair.

An older white copule sit behind a table display showing two programs: Growing Peace, whose symbol is a peace sign growing on a tree, wreathed by leaves. and the Learning Tree preschool, whose symbol is a tree with branches growing in a hand shape. A sign on top of the table reads "Proudly working in partnership with the California School for the Deaf to provide quality ASL childcare to families in the Deaf community."

Two young Black people, a man and a woman, sit smiling behind a table with a banner on it reading "The Black Deaf Project." various books featuring Black Deaf characters and topics are displayed on the table.

A middle-aged white person in a windbreaker stands behind a table with a banner on it reading "ASL at Home." Beside him, two people chat in ASL, one nearly totally obscuring the other.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

A Deaf pizza truck...

A line of people stand on a sidewalk waiting to be served at a food truck. The truck has a black and white mural of hands holding two edges of a round pizza goatse style. The text on the truck reads, "Mozzeria, a Deaf owned & operated pizzeria. Ask us about catering services. 415.489.0963"

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

A petting zoo...

An elementary aged white girl stands in a grassy penned in area, clutching a large black and orange chicken to her chest. Around her, younger children are examining things, and the butt of a goat is visible just behind her.

A kindergarten-aged child with glasses offers a carrot to a pair of rabbits and a large black chicken standing on a bale of hay. Other adults and children crowd in on all sides inside the penned area of a mobile petting zoo.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

We had a bounce house...

View of a bounce house from the outside. An elementary aged white child in a rainbow tie-dye shirt presses his face against the mesh from within. An adult bounces in the background.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

A local ASL storyteller, Ms. Kie-Che, came to tell stories and perform rhythms and rhymes for the kids.

A tall Deaf Black woman stands in a large conference-room and signs an ASL story to an audience of kindergarten-aged children seated in a semicircle in front of her.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

The event was held at the Learning Tree Preschool in Fremont CA, which has a program complimenting the local Deaf school, picking kids up from CSD Fremont's ECE program and caring for them until after 5 in a language-rich environment with ASL-fluent caregivers.

Photograph of a large gathering in an open courtyard. In the foreground, an adult woman and several children wait in line. A white child wearing a rainbow-color tie-dyed shirt makes snow cones using a machine and syrup on a low table. He stands under a building overhang. Behind him, similar booths are set up with activities, with dozens of adults and children wandering between tables.

Will Fertman@willfertman· May 3

Here's a long thread of gratitude for yesterday's book launch party for the Deaf Baby Instruction Manual. (It was AMAZING!) www.bloomsbury.com/us/deaf-baby...

Cover of a book, The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual. Images: In the center, a smiling Black baby beams out from a bed, staring directly at the reader. Across the top are three cameo images shoing parents of different races and genders playing with their toddlers. Text: The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual, a guide for parents of deaf and hard of hearing children from birth through kindergarten. Will Fertman, Foreword by Dr. Wyatte Hall and Dr. Kimberley Ofori-Sanzo. Bloomsbury.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Apr 28

i get to my gate at JFK and what time is it?

Will Fertman@willfertman· Apr 25

What an amazing experience presenting at BU’s Deaf Space! Thank you to Andrew Bottoms and the whole crew!

Photo of a crowded hall at Boston University GSU student union. Several hundred people of all races and genders sit in rows in a large carpeted space.

Will Fertman@willfertman· Apr 23

Ultimate writer vanity move? Read your own book on the BART. (This’ll be the only time, I swear!)