• M.P.H., Public Health - Yale University

Senda Benaissa, a Deaf New York native, is a research associate with the Gallaudet Research Institute.

After receiving her Master's of Public Health from Yale University, Senda spent a couple of years working on the national disability surveys at the United Nations, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) in Switzerland and the World Bank.

Senda always has been involved with international work and enjoys working with deaf and hard of hearing people. She specializes in international disability issues, specifically in designing household surveys to collect demographic information about people with disabilities in developing countries. She also trains health community workers on how to improve accessibility to health care services for disabled people in both developed and developing countries.

Senda is involved with several of educational research studies with project investigators at GRI. Senda specializes on designing surveys, developing procedures and collecting data.

In addition to her current role, she is responsible for the Priority Grants that provides a funding support to the Gallaudet faculty and staff's research projects. Senda also serves as a Fulbright "point of contact" where she provides an academically supports to incoming Fulbrighters.

• research studies
• measuring accessibility health care for deaf people
• functional assessment
• international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF)
• international disability
• disability survey