Black Deaf Studies Minor has been approved by the Board of Trustees this week and students can begin adding this as a minor starting Fall 2022.  Since the late 1990s, Gallaudet has offered a course 鈥淏lack Deaf People Studies鈥�. When the Center of Black Deaf Studies was founded in 2020, several new courses were offered in addition such as Black Deaf History, Orature and Literature, Introduction to Oral History, An Overview of Black ASL, and Black Deaf Seminar.

At the time when the Center of Black Deaf Studies opened, a course in Black Deaf Studies was offered to Gallaudet students. No surprise, the course was in high demand and filled up quickly. This then led to the formation of the Black Deaf Studies minor, which will also offer multiple Black Deaf Studies courses. This brings Dr. Carolyn McCaskill, professor and Director of the Center of Black Deaf Studies, one step closer to her dream of offering Black Deaf Studies as a major at Gallaudet one day. Congratulations!