Commencement 2025: Deaf Studies pioneers deliver keynote speeches

Dr. Carol Padden and Dr. Tom Humphries, ’68 & G-’72, have made invaluable academic and cultural contributions to the deaf and hard of hearing community. Their co-authored books, Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture and Inside Deaf Culture, are considered landmark works in the field of deaf studies.

Gallaudet was honored to welcome Drs. Padden and Humphries back to our campus as the keynote speakers for Commencement 2025. In addition to their remarks, both received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of their work.

Dr. Carol Padden

Dr. Carol Padden, the keynote speaker for the Graduate Ceremony, is a Washington, D.C. native with a family legacy at Gallaudet University. Her father, Donald Padden, ’45, is a member of the Gallaudet Athletics Hall of Fame, and her mother, Agnes Padden, ’47, was the first female graduate of Kendall School to get a Gallaudet degree.

“I have always wanted to say ‘thank you’ to Gallaudet University,” says Dr. Padden. “I grew up on the Gallaudet campus—I went to preschool and the first few years of elementary school at Gallaudet before I transferred to a public school.

“Even when I wasn’t a student, I was always on campus one way or another—attending plays, going to basketball games, using the library, hanging out with my older brother’s friends, and then hanging out with my Youth Leadership Camp friends.”

Dr. Padden pursued an academic career in language, communication, and culture. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Georgetown University in 1978 and her Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). In 1983, Dr. Padden joined UCSD’s Department of Communication. She currently holds the Sanford I. Berman Chair in Language and Human Communication.

In addition to research on sign languages, her work has explored the historical and contemporary dimensions of Deaf culture, the planning of reading instruction for young deaf children by adults and teachers, and the future of Deaf people in the age of cochlear implants and genetic engineering.

Dr. Padden has devoted much of her time as a volunteer for community organizations and academic institutions. She served on the Gallaudet Board of Trustees from 1989 to 2003, including several years as vice chair. She is now recognized as a trustee emerita at Gallaudet.

During her address to the graduate Class of 2025, Dr. Padden talked about the formative role that Gallaudet University has played in her life. She touched on the vital role that Gallaudet has played in shaping a vibrant and democratic society that includes Deaf people.

“The U.S. is shaped by what Gallaudet has made possible since it was created in 1864,” says Dr. Padden. “My hope is that the Class of 2025 realizes they are part of a tremendous legacy left behind by the people who educated my parents and many members of my family. I would like to challenge them to think of ways they can carry this legacy into the future, not just for future students but for American society.

“I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without Gallaudet. I’m so appreciative of this opportunity to speak to the Class of 2025.”

Dr. Tom Humphries

“I was honored to be asked to speak at the Undergraduate Ceremony,” says Dr. Tom Humphries. “The education I got at Gallaudet and the friends I made there were an important time of maturing for me. Gallaudet has a very special place in my life.”

Dr. Humphries grew up in a small town in South Carolina. The first time he met another deaf person was when he arrived on the Gallaudet campus. He thrived, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Education in 1968. After completing his master’s at Gallaudet in 1972, he taught in the university’s English department.

In 1977, Dr. Humphries earned his Ph.D. in Cross Cultural Communication and Language Learning from Union Institute & University. During this doctoral study in 1975, he designed a bilingual approach to teaching deaf language learners. He also coined the term “audism”, which is now a widely recognized concept in the Deaf community and around the world.

Dr. Humphries joined the University of California, San Diego in 1991. He focused much of his career researching deaf cultural processes and how deaf people imagined their community into being. He is a strong advocate for bilingual education in American Sign Language and English, and he has collaborated with scholars and colleagues across other universities to inform the national dialogue on the developmental needs of deaf children.

During his address to the graduate Class of 2025, Dr. Humphries reflected on using the identity he gained at Gallaudet to give back to the deaf and hard of hearing community. His story illuminated a lifelong commitment to changing narratives and service. 

“Gallaudet gave me the opportunity to be of service in various ways, over many years, especially on the Gallaudet Board,” Dr. Humphries says. “I hope the class of 2025 will get as much pleasure as I have from public service and from making life better for ourselves and everyone.”

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Gallaudet is shaping the future of research in the deaf and hard of hearing community. We offer bachelor’s, minor, and master’s degree tracks in Deaf Studies.

Want to see the speeches of Dr. Padden and Dr. Humphries? You can watch online recordings of the Graduate Ceremony with Dr. Padden and the Undergraduate Ceremony with Dr. Humphries.