Deaf Studies
Carey M. Ballard
Carey M. Ballard is a part-time faculty member at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, where he teaches in the Deaf Education teacher preparation program. His professional interests center on American Sign Language development, bilingual education, and improving educational outcomes for K-12 Deaf students. Ballard’s experience includes academic research and teaching. He […]
Amelia Becker
Dr. Amelia Becker is a postdoctoral researcher at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research focuses on the linguistics of American Sign Language, with a particular interest in phonetics, phonology, iconicity, and how these properties interact with one another. She was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship award from the National Science Foundation’s […]
Andrew R. Bottoms
Andrew R. Bottoms serves as Senior Lecturer and Program Director of Deaf Studies at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, where he shapes curriculum innovation and community engagement. He previously co-founded Harvard University’s American Sign Language program, serving as Preceptor in the Department of Linguistics from 2016, where he led development of […]
Naomi Caselli
Naomi Caselli is an associate professor of Deaf education, director of the Deaf Center, and the director of the AI and Education initiative at Boston University. She is hearing, and her first languages are American Sign Language (ASL) and English. She leads a research team that works to make research on language—across education, computer science, […]
Todd Czubek
Dr. Todd Czubek is a senior lecturer in the Deaf Studies program at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. His interests include studying discourse proficiencies in American Sign Language and their implications for academic success and second-language development. He is also exploring how the modality of ASL and ASL Literacy can contribute […]
Paris Gappmayr
Paris Gappmayr is a PhD candidate in the Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences program studying sign language perception and acquisition. She is affiliated with the Wheelock Deaf Center through her work as a research assistant in the Language Acquisition & Visual Attention (LAVA) Lab and is mentored by Dr. Amy Lieberman. Paris’ dissertation investigates the […]
Emily Glenn-Smith
Emily Glenn-Smith is a seasoned instructor and presenter with nearly two decades as an educator in the field of American Sign Language. Her ambition is that students will learn to appreciate and respect ASL as an organic, distinctive, and wholly naturally occurring language—and recognize Deaf people as a community with their own set of cultural […]
Marshall Hurst
Marshall Hurst is the outreach and ASL communications specialist for the BU Deaf Center at Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. In this role, Mr. Hurst connects the Center’s research to a wider public through social media, web content, and events. He also contributes to research with Amy Lieberman and Naomi Caselli on language acquisition […]
Franklin Jones, Jr.
Franklin Jones, Jr., is a lecturer in Deaf Studies at BU Wheelock. His primary role involves instructing students in American Sign Language (ASL) at various proficiency levels. His research interests include Black American Sign Language (BASL) and its historical origins, linguistic intricacies, and cultural significance, as well as the resilience of Black Deaf males in […]
Kaj Kraus
Dr. Kaj Kraus is a postdoctoral associate in the Deaf Center at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. He studies how language and cognitive development are shaped by perceptual experience, language input, and modality. His current work spans three projects that investigate: 1) how early language skills relate to later language […]