Center for Latine Deaf Studies

Nuestra Casa

At Gallaudet University

We acknowledge and honor the Nacotchtank (Anacostan) and Piscataway tribes, the original people of the land upon which Gallaudet University stands in Washington, D.C.

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge and honor the Nacotchtank (Anacostan) and Piscataway tribes, the original people of the land upon which Gallaudet University stands in Washington, D.C.

We are delighted to introduce the new Center for Latine Deaf Studies also known as Nuestra Casa (Our House in Spanish). This center comes in response to requests by our Latine students, faculty, and staff dating back to 2011 and earlier. Nuestra Casa aims to promote a sense of Bienvenido (welcoming) for the Latine community at Gallaudet.

Welcome / Bienvenido

We are all connected through our raíces and love of our cultures. We acknowledge and respect that there are several identity terms our community utilizes such as Hispanic/Latina/Latine/Latino/Latinx and the various perspectives about them. While we will always be mindful and respect all individual identities, Latine will be used for this center for the sake of simplicity as it describes the rich variety of our pan-ethnic and multiple-identity community.

Acknowledgement

Misson

Nuestra Casa, aka the Center for Latine Deaf Studies, aims to promote a sense of Bienvenido (welcoming) for the Latine community at Gallaudet through enriching educational, cultural, and social programs. Nuestra Casa will be a site to amplify connection among Latine students and the broader community on local, national, and global levels. The center provides a safe place to discover and celebrate our diverse cultural heritages, histories, languages and traditions. This will lead to increased recruitment, higher retention rates, and the advancement of the Latine community.

The Center proposes to conduct research on the experiences of Latine Deaf people of Indigenous, European, Latin American, African, and American descent, and to offer a minor in Latine Deaf Studies. The Center also will organize lectures, films, speaker series, and discussion forums, and partner with community and campus organizations to sponsor lectures and workshops that create a better understanding of Latine Deaf people in the wider social, economic, and political spectrum.

Research and Activity Goals

We are committed to providing a space where our diverse cultural heritages, histories, and traditions are honored, recognized, and explored by all on campus and beyond. Nuestra Casa will:

Engage current and future Latine leaders through guidance in their academic, leadership, professional and social development.
Work to amplify issues facing the Latine community and educate about the pan-ethnic/cultural diversity within the community.
Provide educational and other programming opportunities.
Serve as a clearinghouse to connect with different departments and colleges who are working on Latin America, Deaf Studies, Deaf Education, Latine communities in the U.S, and more.
Advocate inclusivity and diversity by collaborating with other campus units and external organizations.
Nuestra Casa supports Latine students to succeed and thrive in and outside of the classroom while fostering a sense of belonging and pride.

Goals

Nuestra Casa is a place of supporting teaching, learning, and research in Latine Deaf Studies and other disciplines that benefit from more comprehensive coverage of the Latine Deaf experience, such as history, literature, psychology, sociology, and religion. Its aim is to preserve the history of the Latine Deaf community, as well as Latine Deaf education, culture, and language. It will pay particular attention to the Latine Deaf experience at Gallaudet University and the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center. The Center will have an advisory board to provide guidance and consultation to the Center staff on programs, policies, and procedures.

Why Nuestra Casa?

Meet the Advisory Board

Kailyn Aaron-Lozano

Advisory Board Member

Juan Bernal

Advisory Board Member

Marguerite Carrillo

Advisory Board Member

Stephen Farias

Advisory Board Member

Jasmin Leon

Advisory Board Member

Marissa Rivera

Advisory Board Member

Edwin Martinez Jr

Advisory Board Member

Rosa Portillo

Advisory Board Member

Angel Ramos

Advisory Board Member

Ivy Vélez

Advisory Board Member