President Cordano writes articles on inclusive excellence, sign language economy

University presidents are considered thought leaders, and are often asked to present their views on a variety of subjects. President Cordano has written two articles that appeared in online publications late last week. 

How Sign Language is Driving a Multi-Billion Dollar Inclusive Economy appeared on the Thrive Global website. In this article, President Cordano highlights “the thriving, but overlooked, sign language economy that delivers significant financial, social, and employment opportunities in cities and communities throughout the United States. This sign language economy has been built through human capital, entrepreneurialism, commerce, and innovation, and is worth billions of dollars.” She writes that Gallaudet University is a key engine of the sign language economy.

President Cordano has written for Thrive Global once before, on The Power of Sign Language to Create a More Connected and Inclusive World. She was also interviewed by Thrive Global writer Fotis Georgiadis as part of a series on “Big Ideas That Might Change the World.” In this interview, she said that her big idea was that everyone, deaf or hearing, should learn sign language from birth. “This idea is one that I hope to see not just in America, but worldwide,” she said. 

President Cordano’s second article was for the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center Chalkboard, a blog focused on United States education policy and research. In Why Does Inclusion Often Neglect the Needs of Deaf Students, she cites research that validates the benefits of visual learning for all children. “The more we engage deaf children in language-rich ASL/English experiences, the stronger their brains and language skills become.” Citing the passage by the Los Angeles Unified School District of a new policy “that is a model for enhancing brain, language, and socio-emotional development of all deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind children,” President Cordano calls for changes in education policy related to the least restrictive environment, a census of deaf children, and the removal of barriers to teacher screening.