Apple Distinguished School 2022–2025

Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University is pleased to be recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2022-2025 for our lasting impact on the global community of deaf, heard of hearing, and deaf blind people.

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The Gallaudet Promise is a 10-year commitment to our vision of creating a vibrant life experience for our students who, as graduates of the only American Sign Language (ASL) and English bilingual university in the world, will make a lasting impact on the global community of deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf blind people and all of humanity, and contribute to the $2-3 billion signing ecosystem.

In carrying out this vision, we intentionally infuse three imperatives into how we teach, work, and learn. We incorporate bilingualism into everything we do, promote a sense of belonging and equity throughout our entire campus and signing ecosystem, and innovate for impact by leading the deaf way of being, doing, and creating.

Gallaudet University, chartered in 1864 by President Abraham Lincoln, is a private university for deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington, D.C

Gallaudet at a Glance - Fall 2022

Gallaudet University has over 40 undergraduate programs and more than 25 graduate degree programs along with our 18+ research centers and faculty-led laboratories that focus on accessible technology, American Sign Language and English bilingualism, health care, deaf education, and educational neuroscience. The Gallaudet Promise is a 10-year commitment to our vision of creating a vibrant life experience for our students

Total Enrolled Students

Undergraduate

English Language Institute

Graduate

Professional Studies

of entering undergraduate students are people of color

0 %

of entering undergraduate students are first-generation college students

0 %

of undergraduate and graduate students are from outside the United States

0 %

of undergraduate students receive financial aid

0 %

of undergraduate U.S. students’ families have $0 Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

0 %

of graduates are employed or continuing their studies within one year of graduation

0 %

full-time faculty, all of whom teach in American Sign Language

Innovation with Apple Products

Both Gallaudet University and Apple work to improve the world for all its citizens by promoting inclusivity and designing for it.

Our Motion Light Lab (ML2) uses immersive, research-informed learning experiences from a signing/Deaf perspective to produce sign language storybook apps for deaf children to transform their reading experience in multiple sign languages used around the world. ML2 also produced Here Comes Mavo, the first 3D children’s television show with animated Deaf characters. Their work with signing avatars has advanced the use of motion capture technology.

Several Deaf Studies classes created bilingual, bimodal children’s ebooks with Apple apps and Mac computers in collaboration with Swarthmore College students. Information Technology capstone students learned iOS app development and developed a COVID-19 tracking and resource app. Linguistics graduate students are creating apps for an ASL corpus.

University Communications created several Apple Maps Guides highlighting the signing ecosystem in the Washington metropolitan area and beyond.

Students are entering pitch competitions with creative Apple hardware and software solutions.

Using Apple products, Gallaudet is submitting its first-ever bilingual reaccreditation application in ASL and English to its accrediting body.

Gallaudet and Apple

Both Gallaudet University and Apple work to improve the world for all its citizens by promoting inclusivity and designing for it.

May 2019

The Apple Store Carnegie Library opens, employing many Gallaudet students and alumni, and offering sales, service, and training in ASL. Several alumni have moved into positions of greater responsibility, locally and in Cupertino.

September 2019

Gallaudet sent a letter, in ASL and English, to Tim Cook that was shared worldwide.

Spring 2020

Connected Gallaudet, an ambitious vision and business plan.

Fall 2020

Connected Gallaudet was launched and all students and faculty received iPad Pro.

Winter 2020

Apple Professional Learning began supporting faculty and students with resources and personalized coaching to integrate Apple technology and drive innovation

2021-2022 Academic Year

All students, faculty, and staff received MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Pencil. The Apple TV 4K hub was installed in all classrooms and laboratories.

April 2022

Graduating senior Molly Feanny invited Tim Cook to be our Commencement speaker…and he accepted!

May 2022

Tim Cook addressed the Class of 2022.

What's Next

Gallaudet University and Apple share the goal of inclusive excellence. We know that ensuring inclusiveness must be an integral part of product and service design – not an afterthought, not a retrofit. We know that technological solutions work best when the people who stand to benefit are involved.

Our work together will advance the priorities in The Gallaudet Promise: extraordinary learning and academic excellence across the lifespan, knowledge creation and discovery, and signing ecosystems and career success. Together, we will make the world a better place for all.