ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Doug Bahl, an advocate for the deaf in Minnesota who forced St. Paul and Ramsey County authorities to change how they accommodate hard-of-hearing inmates, has died while on a vacation trip in Arizona, his mother said Wednesday.
Bahl, 63, died Jan. 21 of pancreatic cancer at Hospice of the Valley in Surprise, Ariz., his mother, Verna Bahl of rural Faribault, told The Associated Press.
Over the past four decades, Bahl served on numerous boards, including a 10-year stint as president of the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, and he encouraged hundreds to both learn American Sign Language and teach it.
Since 1990, Bahl worked as an ASL interpreter training instructor at St. Paul College. Before that, he taught for 15 years at Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf in Faribault, the St. Paul Pioneer Press (https://bit.ly/1aIaBIK ) reported.
Bahl also was known as a historian on the topic of famous or influential deaf people.
“My dad always felt it was so important for deaf people to know about their own heritage,” his daughter, Kari Bahl, told the newspaper. “He dedicated his life to researching various topics and various deaf individuals throughout history in order to inspire those to aspire to higher standards.”
Bahl was pulled over in a traffic stop in 2006, and the incident resulted in a pair of federal lawsuits brought by Bahl against the city and Ramsey County. In both cases, the defendants agreed to settle and better accommodate hard-of-hearing inmates.
Born in Montevideo, Bahl suffered at age 2 from viral encephalitis, which caused his hearing loss.
He graduated from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. He later taught there for 15 years starting in 1976, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in government from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree in deaf education from the University of Minnesota.
Survivors include Bahl’s wife, two children, his parents, two brothers and his sister.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, https://www.twincities.com
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