When Bob Hoffmeister founded BU\u2019s modern Deaf Studies program in 1980, it was one of the first of its kind. Hoffmeister committed from the start to providing bilingual education, in American Sign Language (ASL) and English, for Deaf students. Today, the program focuses on research, community programs, and the development of curricula and other resources, all advancing the recognition of Deaf people as a linguistic minority, one with its own unique and valuable culture. Everything we do in the program takes place in
\nthat context.<\/p>\n
Our holistic approach has earned us the trust of the nation\u2019s leading schools for Deaf students. When they want the best teachers, they turn to us. We\u2019re also increasingly known for the resources our faculty and students have developed for teachers and families: video ASL storybooks, ASL lesson plans in K\u201312 subject areas, and other essentials that are surprisingly hard to find anywhere else.<\/p>\n
And we don\u2019t just educate educators. BU Wheelock is the sole provider of ASL instruction for BU students who wish to learn the language, and our ASL courses are among the University\u2019s most popular in any subject.<\/p>\n
One challenge unique to research and teaching in Deaf Studies is also a source of strength: faculty who are not fluent in ASL must always partner with Deaf colleagues to do their work. Of our program\u2019s six faculty members, three are Deaf and two others are bilingual in English and ASL. We recognize and embrace the urgent need to build a stronger pipeline for Deaf scholars, at every level from undergraduates to postdocs and tenure-track faculty.<\/p>\n
Our work is critically important to the Deaf community as well as to educators. And BU Wheelock is ideally situated to pursue it, with all the resources that a top-tier research institution like BU brings to bear. Our faculty is already developing projects with BU\u2019s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences\u2014projects that draw on our researchers\u2019 expertise in Deaf Studies as well as CDS faculty\u2019s skills in structuring, analyzing, and visualizing data.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Endow a scholarship in Bob Hoffmeister\u2019s honor, with a preference for native ASL speakers who are pursuing teaching careers
\n\u2022 Build the graduate-level pipeline and help support research by funding stipends for research assistants, PhD candidates, and postdocs in Deaf Studies
\n\u2022 Support the development of ASL curricular and assessment tools, databases, and video publications
\n\u2022 Help our research teams work with sometimes widely dispersed Deaf communities by endowing a fund for travel and communication with families
\n\u2022 Support the relaunch of the Center on Sign Language & Deaf Education<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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