The five research priorities adopted by Gallaudet in 2017 after three years of assessment and review reflect the University's unique and ongoing commitment to research that benefits the diversity of the deaf and hard of hearing population on campus, across the United States, and around the world. The latest priorities represent a framework for the research efforts of the University and the Clerc Center.

Strategy E.1.1 of Gallaudet University's preceding five-year Strategic Plan called for no more than five integrated research priorities, formulated by assessing compelling needs as well as current and potential strengths in fields such as visual language and learning, linguistic and communication access, genetics, and ASL/English bilingualism.

The research priorities are:

Priority #1: Education
The status and impact of current practices and policies related to the education, professional and technical training, and career preparation of d/Deaf, hard of hearing, and Deafblind people through the lifespan, from birth through postgraduate education and beyond aimed at the development of evidence-based best practices and policies.

Priority #2: Diversity
Diversity within and between d/Deaf, hard of hearing and Deafblind communities, including underserved populations, as represented through the arts, humanities, and allied fields, demographic studies, and genetics, along with ethical and policy issues surrounding these manifestations of diversity.

Priority #3: Accessibility
Accessibility for d/Deaf, hard of hearing and Deafblind people in the workplace and in society at large as made possible by a wide range of technologies in several domains including but not limited to telecommunications, captioning, robotics, avatars, speech/sign recognition, and ergonomics.

Priority #4: Deaf Experience
The subjective experience of living as a d/Deaf, hard of hearing or Deafblind individual as understood through a variety of methodologies used in the fields of biology, psychology, economics, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, political science, history and philosophy, among others.

Priority #5: Language and Cognition
The relationship between linguistic and cognitive phenomena and the underlying physical substrate of the brain in d/Deaf, hard of hearing and Deafblind individuals as studied through the processing of visual, tactile and auditory stimuli in multiple contexts, including language development and learning
throughout the lifespan.