Dr. Carolyn D. McCaskill, Christopher D. Johnson receive honors

Dr. Carolyn D. McCaskill, ’77, G-’79, & PhD ’05, was inducted into the Alabama School for the Deaf Hall of Fame in October. Dr. McCaskill, professor of Deaf Studies and founding director of the Center for Black Deaf Studies, was the first Black Deaf person to be inducted into the ASD Hall of Fame in the leadership and education category. She was a 1972 graduate of ASD and one of its first Black Deaf students, enrolling in 1968 after first attending the Alabama School for Negro Deaf and Blind.

Dr. McCaskill is one of six inductees in this year’s Hall of Fame class. The other five were recognized for their athletic achievements. 

The Alabama School for the Deaf Alumni Association administers the school’s Hall of Fame. Bill Estes, ’94, chairs the Hall of Fame committee.

Watch Dr. McCaskill’s induction video and her moving acceptance.

Christopher D. Johnson, G-’19, was announced as the recipient of the 2022 Hamilton Relay Deaf Community Leader Award for the District of Columbia last month. Chris is project manager in the Division of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusive Excellence. He is also president of the District of Columbia Area Black Deaf Advocates, which just marked its 40th anniversary last month, and a member of the advisory board to the Gallaudet University Center for Black Deaf Studies.

This is Chris’s second major award this year. He received the Lillian Williams Champion of Diversity Alumni Award this spring at his undergraduate alma mater, the University of West Georgia. 

Congratulations to both awardees!