Sheryl B. Cooper, Ph.D.

Sheryl B. Cooper, Ph.D., is the founding Coordinator of the Deaf Studies program at Towson University in MD, which currently has over 225 students, 8 faculty members, and an exciting curriculum of courses and extra-curricular opportunities.  She earned her Ph.D. from Gallaudet University, her Master's degree from New York University, and her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.  She has been a certified interpreter since 1980, and taught in the Interpreter Preparation Program at Catonsville Community College for 18 years. She is a member of RID, PCRID, NAD, the Maryland Association of the Deaf, the American Association of the Deafblind (AADB), and the Metro Washington Association of the Deaf-blind. She chaired the 2006 AADB Conference at Towson University.

Service Learning: Deaf Studies in the Community

In recent years, civic engagement has become entrenched in post-secondary curricula and experiences. Ideally, Deaf Studies programs promote opportunities for students to learn the language and culture of the Deaf community. To achieve this, it is critical for students to have meaningful interactions with the community. Through service-learning, Deaf Studies students at Towson University have volunteered in situations with Deaf and Deafblind individuals and families, and provided information about the deaf community to a variety of non-profit organizations, first-responders, and public organizations. Services provided to consumers include help with understanding mail, transportation to appointments, work in food pantries, and companionship.  Services provided to community organizations include teaching signed language, providing deaf awareness training, and creating and implementing ways for making agencies accessible to the deaf community.  These hands-on experiences have enhanced students’ learning significantly.  Students in the Fall of 2010 and 2011 completed questionnaires about their perspectives on service learning before and after their off-campus experiences, and this paper will share the results of the comparisons, to show that service learning has a significant positive impact on student learning and student attitudes toward giving to the community.