Deaf Identities

Irene W. Leigh is Professor Emerita of Psychology at Gallaudet University. As a life-long deaf individual, parent of two children (one deaf and one hearing), and a psychologist specializing in services to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, her research interests cover the measurement of depression among deaf people, identity and multiculturalism, parenting, parent-child attachment, and cochlear implants. She is a former Associate Editor for the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA). She has received various awards for her work, including the APA Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology's Distinguished Contributions Award and ADARA's Boyce R. Williams Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Field. Catherine A. O'Brien is Associate Professor at Gallaudet University. She began her career as a science, special education, and physical education teacher, and she received her doctoral degree in 2011 in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. At Gallaudet, she spent two years as the first I. King Jordan Chair Fellow, studying five schools for the deaf to expand her research base. Her research interests include school culture, culturally relevant leadership, principal preparation, deaf culture, social justice, and improving educational outcomes for deaf children. Her work has been published in numerous journals and edited volumes.