Open Letter Regarding Butler University’s Deaf Education Program скачать в хорошем качестве

Open Letter Regarding Butler University’s Deaf Education Program

Transcript: Hello community! My name is Geoffrey Bignell and I am Director of Advocacy with Indiana Association of the Deaf. I wanted to post a vlog to talk about what happened with Butler University's Deaf Education program that they recently established. They planned to start the Deaf Education program in Fall 2027 and on. They received around 1.25 million dollars from Office of Special Education Programs under U.S. Department of Education. IAD is concerned because the program focuses on LSL (Listening and Spoken Language) only which is pretty much similar to oralism. The program doesn't have any focus on ASL, bi-bi, or other communication methods. We decided to write an open letter to Butler University, and I'll sign the letter below. On behalf of the Indiana Association of the Deaf (IAD), we extend our congratulations to Butler University on the launch of its new Master of Arts in Deaf Education program and the recent $1.25 million federal grant from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) supporting its development. Addressing the nationwide shortage of educators trained to work with Deaf and Hard of Hearing students is an important and shared goal. We recognize Butler University’s leadership in offering this program in an online, synchronous format, expanding access to graduate-level Deaf education training across Indiana and nationally beginning in Fall 2026. As Indiana’s oldest and largest consumer-led organization representing Deaf and Hard of Hearing Hoosiers, IAD closely follows developments in Deaf education policy and practice. Based on publicly available information, we understand that the program’s curriculum is specialized in Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) approaches. While LSL is one educational pathway utilized by some families and students, it represents only one part of the broader Deaf education landscape. For many Deaf children, American Sign Language (ASL) and bilingual or multimodal educational approaches are essential for language access, academic success, and social-emotional development. Decades of research, professional practice, and lived experience demonstrate the importance of ASL-centered and bilingual-bicultural frameworks in Deaf education. We respectfully encourage Butler University, as this new program grows, to consider incorporating ASL-based coursework or complementary program pathways that reflect the full diversity of Deaf learners and communication needs. Doing so would further strengthen graduates’ preparedness to serve students across a wide range of educational environments and align the program with inclusive, culturally responsive best practices. IAD welcomes dialogue with Butler University faculty and administrators, as well as with policymakers and education leaders, to share community perspectives and explore opportunities for collaboration. Our shared interest is ensuring that future educators are equipped with comprehensive tools to support all Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. We offer these comments in the spirit of partnership, transparency, and a shared commitment to educational equity. Respectfully, Geoffrey Bignell, Director of Advocacy Indiana Association of the Deaf Certified ADA Coordinator