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Diane BrentariView profile

Professor

• Sign Languages
• Phonology
• Morphology
• +7 more

Dr. Diane Brentari is the Mary K. Werkman Professor of Linguistics at the University of Chicago and Co-Director of the Center for Gesture, Sign, and Language. Her research focuses on sign language grammars, phonology, and the emergence of protactile systems in DeafBlind communities. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1990) and has taught there since 2011. Key interests include modality effects on language structure, language variation, and typological comparisons. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Neubauer Collegium. Notable contributions include books like Sign Language Phonology (2019) and edited volumes on sign language creation and phonological theory. Awards include Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Research Highlights: Analysis of Nicaraguan Sign Language emergence, tactile phonology in protactile communities, and cross-modal comparisons of gesture and sign. Courses Taught: Phonological Analysis, American Deaf Community Studies, and Seminars on Multiple Verb Predicates. Dr. Brentari's lab investigates sign language morpho-phonology and its sociocultural dimensions. Recent projects explore how tactile languages utilize touch and proprioception as linguistic resources. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with empirical studies of language emergence and variation.

• Language Acquisition
• Sign Language Development
• Bilingualism
• +4 more

Deanna Gagne is an Associate Professor in the Linguistics department at Gallaudet University, affiliated with the School of Language, Education, and Culture. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Connecticut, with additional expertise in Neurobiology of Language and Cognitive Sciences. Her research focuses on language acquisition, particularly in sign language environments, exploring how children's language experiences (e.g., homesigning, bimodal bilingualism, and emerging sign languages) shape cognition and linguistic structure. She investigates language creation in deaf communities, peer influences on language development, and the impact of first language strength on second language acquisition. Her work spans experimental methods like eye-tracking, behavioral tasks, and linguistic elicitation, with fieldwork in Nicaragua and other emerging sign language contexts. Recent scholarly contributions address bimodal bilingualism, domain restrictions in ASL, and DeafBlind communication. She teaches courses such as Psycholinguistics of Sign Language, Phonology, and Brain & Language. Gagne actively participates in academic service roles, including doctoral committee work, grant review, and leadership in organizations like MD/DC Hands and Voices. Her research emphasizes translational outcomes for Deaf and DeafBlind communities, including protactile language acquisition and accessible education.

April ChengView profile

Lecturer

• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Deaf Culture
• ProTactile Language
• +6 more

April Cheng is a full-time Lecturer at the College of Staten Island (CUNY), specializing in American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture. She is deeply committed to advocacy and accessibility for the Deaf and DeafBlind communities. Her research and teaching interests center on promoting ASL and ProTactile language, raising awareness of the legal rights of Deaf individuals, and developing inclusive teaching methods for second-language learners. She is fluent in British Sign Language (BSL) and ProTactile and is actively pursuing certification in both. April Cheng has over a year of experience as a DeafBlind interpreter and is dedicated to fostering inclusivity in academic and professional settings. She previously taught at the Sign Language Center before transitioning to university-level instruction. There are no listed scientific awards at this time. She advises no students and has no listed publications. She is currently engaged in immersive ProTactile training and preparing for the BSL interpreting exam to become a multilingual interpreter. She is based in Building 2S, Room 117, at the College of Staten Island.

Terra EdwardsView profile

Assistant Professor

• Linguistic Anthropology
• Language Emergence
• DeafBlind Communities
• +3 more

Terra Edwards is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, she served on the faculty at Gallaudet University's Department of Linguistics and Saint Louis University's Department of Sociology & Anthropology. Her research focuses on linguistic anthropology, language emergence, and DeafBlind communities, particularly exploring the protactile movement that redefines human interaction through tactile modalities. Her groundbreaking work examines how DeafBlind communities develop new tactile languages and social frameworks as visual reliance diminishes. Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and Wenner-Gren Foundation, her research integrates socio-cultural anthropology, cognitive science, and ecological semiotics. Her forthcoming book, Going Tactile: Life at the Limits of Language , details 30 months of ethnographic fieldwork exploring how tactile interaction reshapes language structures and social dynamics. Edwards' methodologies include interactional and linguistic data analysis, emphasizing the interplay between sensory experience and communicative practices. She advocates for tactile-first approaches to accessibility, influencing both academic discourse and practical technologies like wearable haptic systems. Her work bridges anthropology, linguistics, and technology, offering insights into embodied cognition and alternative communication frameworks.