Dr. Laurene Simms
The Visual-Centric Teaching and Learning (VCTL) project addresses ongoing social challenges that Deaf** students and other linguistically diverse learners continue to face.
The goal of the three-year Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant-funded project was to create a foundation for socially just teaching and learning in higher education by transforming traditional pedagogical approaches into culturally responsive, trauma-informed, visually centered, bilingual practices to anchor students with a sense of belonging.
**People who identify as D/deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and hearing impaired are all included in the term "Deaf" as used by VCTL.
The Core Teams
Four core faculty teams oversaw the project's development, planning, and support by concentrating on particular facets of visual-centric bilingual, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed pedagogy.
Principal Investigator (PI) Dr. Laurene Simms in the Office of the Chief Bilingual Officer
Gallaudet University’s Chief Bilingual Officer, Dr. Laurene Simms, served as the principal investigator and leader for the VCTL project. Gallaudet University established the Office of the Chief Bilingual Officer in January 2020 to further support delivering a top-notch bilingual education in a successful, nurturing environment where deaf stakeholders can thrive openly in American Sign Language (ASL) and written English.
