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Gene Editing

Are we an endangered species?

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GENE EDITING

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One of the Five Grand Challenges in The Gallaudet Promise is “realizing the value of Deaf people across the spectrum of identities.” Recent advances in gene editing, resulting in deaf children in clinical trials regaining some of their hearing, have given rise to the possibility that it might become possible to edit genes before birth or early in a deaf person’s life. What implications might this have for our Deaf community?

Join us for a #WeAreGallaudet Conversation series panel event on gene editing. During this conversation, Gallaudet will spark the conversation regarding genetic engineering and ask important questions, such as, are we as a community at risk of being an endangered species? What does this mean for Deaf people and who gets to decide?

Our esteemed panelists and moderator will provide facts, prompt further curiosity, and provide further opportunities for conversation.

Panelist

A person with shoulder length brown hair, dark red glasses, wearing a red top with a black blazer, looking at the camera smiling
Teresa Blankmeyer Burke

Professor of Philosophy

Panelist

A male with short hair and glasses
Derek Braun, ’95

Professor of Biology

Panelist

Brian Greenwald, a man with shaved hair and glasses
Brian Greenwald, ’96

Professor of History

Moderator

a female with blonde wavy hair wearing business clothes
Brandi Rarus
Chief Communications and Admissions Officer

Our very own Gallaudet debate team had a thought-provoking debate with the Georgetown Philodemic Society on whether deafness should be cured and will offer a sneak peek into that debate after the panel discussion.

Negative

A young man with long hair, wearing a navy blue polo shirt with a logo, stands outdoors in a green park-like setting.
Trent Mora
Undergraduate Student

Affirmative

A young man with short brown hair, wearing glasses and a dark blue polo shirt with an emblem on the chest, smiles at the camera. He is standing outdoors with a blurred background of trees and buildings.
Joe Cherichello
Undergraduate Student

GENE EDITING: Will it go beyond Deaf genes? Who gets to decide? Edit out a gene, are you still the same person? What problems are we solving humanity-wise? What policy, local and international, will all this translate into? What kind of humanity do we want to create? 

Livestream

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
  • April 24, 2024
  • Noon–1:30 p.m. ET
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International Summit on Human Gene Editing

The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of the UK organized an International Summit in Washington, D.C. in December 2015 on recent scientific developments in human gene editing and the range of ethical and governance issues associated with these advances.
Learn more
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How can you get involved?
Social Media Kit
Promote your support and attendance at the #WeAreGallaudet Gene Editing panel by sharing information on your social media channels!
Tips for using the Social Media Kit:
  • Please click the 'Social Media Kit' button to open the Brandfolder. From there, select the graphic you wish to download and share on social media.
  • Make sure to like and follow @GallaudetU across all social media channels!
  • Use the hashtags #EndangeredSpeciesGU

Frequently asked questions

In the light of recent reports on the success of ‘hearing restoration’ of young deaf children from different parts of the world, Gallaudet, as the world’s only liberal arts bilingual university serving Deaf students since 1864, recognizes this as an opportunity to engage the global community on the value of Deaf people and to examine what the advances in genetic editing means to humanity.
We take tremendous pride in witnessing the many incredible contributions that our graduates have made to the world and we believe that they were made possible because of the collective whole in who they are: Deaf as an integrative power that ultimately shapes how they “become” in the world. By hosting the panel and curating the conversations, we invite the world to engage in a thought experiment: What would the world look like without Deaf people?

News

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Feb 08, 2024

Explore Gallaudet University’s cutting-edge research on gene editing, its implications, and advancements in biotechnology. Discover the future of genetic science!

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