Department of Education - Gallaudet University

The Department provides foundation courses that serve as valuable underpinnings for graduate students pursuing professional preparation programs in other graduate departments at Gallaudet. These include courses in educational psychology, multicultural education, social science statistics, research methods, school law, and other areas. Students learn to work collaboratively with professionals from other fields.

Our Mission

The Department of Educational Foundations and Research's mission and vision correspond with Gallaudet University's and the Graduate School of Professional Programs' mission and vision. Specifically the Department of Educational Foundations and Research utilizes a transformative framework to provide degrees in International Development as well as foundational courses for other degree programs within Gallaudet University's professional training programs. DEFR course work provides connections across Professional Education Programs that allow students to develop critical thinking skills, obtain experiences with interdisciplinary connections, explore multiple social and professional identities, and understand social responsibility in the context of their preparation as teachers, counselors, administrators, school psychologists, speech and language professionals, and international development specialists who serve deaf and hard of hearing people and people with disabilities.

The Department of Educational Foundations and Research also offers:

Gallaudet leaders meeting with Judy Heumann at the U.S. Department of State

President Hurwitz and Don Beil, Chief of Staff in the Office of the President met with Judy Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State discussed how Gallaudet University can continue on its course in being a leader in advocating for human rights for Deaf people around the world. Ms Heumann's assistant, TenzenWoebum also attended the meeting along with Dr. Asiah Mason, Manager of International Relations at Gallaudet and Dr. Amy Wilson, director of the International Development program.

Heumann and Hurwitz at the US Dept of State

Mertens speaks at Sri Lankan Teaching Evaluation in South Asia Conference

Prof. Donna Mertens was invited to work with professors from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nepal to refine their curriculum for training program evaluators from their countries. The professors are part of a group known as TESA - Teaching Evaluation in South Asia - that has been funded by IDRC to develop and implement a curriculum in these South Asian countries so that in-country evaluators can conduct evaluations with their local knowledge and expertise. Mertens has been working with this group for 2 years and expects to continue to support their efforts.

Donna Mertens Keynote at Sri Lankan Evaluation Conference

Disability and Deaf Issues on the agenda at the 2012 International AIDS Conference

Thanks to International Development's intern Caitlin Hudson and global development partners such as Handicap International, CBM and Hesperian Health Guides, disability issues were featured prominently at the 2012 International AIDS Conference. Taking place in Washington DC from 22 - 27 July, 25,000 delegates from 200 countries attended the conference. For her internship, Caitlin worked several months organizing the Disability Networking Zone and then assisted in setting it up. The Disability Networking Zone was open to the public and aimed to advocate for all AIDS programmes to become more inclusive of disability and Deaf issues.

Disability Networking Zone: 23 - 27 July

Caitlin Hudson managing the Disability Newtworking Zone

The Disability Networking Zone entitled Access Inclusion Disability Sexuality was part of the Global Village and daily presented full programs during the Conference. This initiative featured research, best practice examples and innovative advocacy ideas from organisations around the world. The agenda for the Disability Networking Zone can be found here.

International Human Rights Advocactes Lead Youth Training at Gallaudet

Youth Disability meeting

Young leaders from countries around the world came to campus to receive training "focused on passing experiences and expertise to the 'new leaders' of the rights movement." AIDS-Free World reported that, "At the Forum, young leaders shared their experiences, their successes, and their goals as they work to shift the way that people in their home countries think about people with disabilities and to effect policy change for the better."

Photo courtesy of Office of International Relations

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Gallaudet leaders meeting with Judy Heumann at the U.S. Department of State

Mertens speaks at Sri Lankan Teaching Evaluation in South Asia Conference

Disability and Deaf Issues on the agenda at the 2012 International AIDS Conference

International Human Rights Advocactes Lead Youth Training at Gallaudet