Gallaudet’s youth debate program earns national award for expanding access in ASL

The Center for Democracy in Deaf America (CDDA) has won the 2025 Activating Equity Award from the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), the nation’s largest debate organization and home to alumni such as Pope Leo XIV, Stacey Abrams, and Justice Samuel Alito. The award honors organizations that expand access to middle and high school speech and debate, ensuring more students have the opportunity to participate.

“The Center for Democracy in Deaf America advances that mission with intention and impact for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students nationwide. We are honored to recognize them as the 2025 recipient,” said Dr. Paul Porter, NSDA’s Director of Belonging and Inclusion, in an NSDA press release.

For CDDA Executive Director Dr. Brendan Stern, ’06, the development of the Youth Debate Bowl is personal. “I grew up in Deaf schools. We had dodgeball and drama — sometimes both at once — but never the chance to debate,” he said in his acceptance speech for the award in June. As Stern taught himself the art of debate through hours of online videos, he envisioned a better way of helping deaf youth learn these vital skills.

Over the past five years, CDDA has encouraged Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from all educational programs to participate in its free, annual competition. In the qualifying stage, students prepare short videos on a pre-assigned topic. A virtual semi-final allows the top four contenders in each age group to face off. Based on those performances, the top debaters are invited to Gallaudet for the in-person finals.

As part of the award, CDDA will receive $5,000, which it will use to support the development of ASL-centric debate training workshops and videos designed to encourage Deaf debaters to participate in competitions. Stern notes that CDDA is already partnering with Deaf schools and other programs to ensure as many students as possible can access the training.

“Thank you, NSDA, for making space for students who will sign at speech and debate tournaments. Because we’ve got plenty to say,” Stern concluded in his acceptance speech.

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More details on how to participate in Youth Debate Bowl are available here. There are lots of other exciting projects happening through the Center for Democracy in Deaf America.