MAX HENDERSON

ALICE COGSWELL

• Stated that the hearing and the deaf had equal intelligence
• Inspired Thomas Gallaudet
• One of Thomas Gallaudet's first students

ANDREW FOSTER

• First school in Africa for the deaf
• Missionary to the deaf in Ghana and Rwanda
• Founded Christian mission for the deaf African

LAURENT CLERC

• First school for the deaf in the US
• Taught deaf and hearing ASL
• Asked to appear before US congress

WILLIAM STOKOE

• Wrote ASL textbooks
• Widespread recognition that sign languages are true languages
• Stokoe invented a written notation for sign language (now called Stokoe notation)

RACHEL C. MAZIQUE

• Deaf teacher of English and writing
• Miss. Deaf America
• Studied foreign sign language

ROBERT F. PANARA

• Founding member of the national theatre of the deaf
• taught for nearly two decades at Gallaudet before becoming the first deaf professor at NTID
• wrote articles and books that helped establish deaf

I. KING JORDAN

• First deaf president of Gallaudet University
• holds eleven honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards
• Appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Commission on Presidential Scholars.

MARIE JEAN PHILIP

• Researcher and advocate for ASL and deaf culture
• pioneer in the Bilingual-Bicultural (Bi-Bi) movement
• taught ASL at Harvard University

DR. JANE FERNADES

• First deaf president to be selected at Guilford College, a hearing university
• she established an Interpreter Training Program
• director of the Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind

THOMAS GALLAUDET

• Equal rights for the deaf
• Formed Gallaudet University
• received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree