Evidence based resources for families to ensure all deaf children have access to language.
Our bilingual/bicultural approach to understanding communication with respect to the Deaf makes our program unique. We take a leadership role in the development of new knowledge and high quality training to help Deaf individuals and their teachers develop to their fullest potential.
05/17/2026
It’s graduation weekend in Boston! 🎓
We are thrilled to celebrate our graduates as they walk across the stage, earn their degrees, and prepare to do groundbreaking work in deaf education and sign language research.
We are so proud of all they have accomplished and cannot wait to see the impact they will make in their communities and beyond.
Once a BU Terrier, always a BU Terrier! 🐾
We're headed to Austin! 👀
Is your deaf child between 12–36 months? We'd love to meet them! Our BU research team is studying how deaf children learn to navigate the world in a visual mode.
We will be there from June 2 to 8. Families can get up to $100 + a book or toy for their little one.
Email us at [email protected] or tap the link in bio to reserve your slot! https://sites.bu.edu/lavalab/tx/
05/06/2026
Today we celebrated a record-breaking ASL Honors Society (ASLHS) induction ceremony with 27 incredible inductees! 🎉
The ASLHS ceremony recognizes college students for their exceptional achievement in ASL studies and their dedication to Deaf culture. We are so proud of each student honored today and grateful to our faculty who joined in the celebration.
A special thank you to Emily Glenn-Smith for leading and organizing such a meaningful event. What an amazing day of community, achievement, and celebration!
04/20/2026
Only 5 days away. DEAF SPACE is coming.
Featuring Will Fertman, author and parent of a deaf child, with a special book signing you won’t want to miss.
Featuring Patrick Graybill, a legendary Deaf storyteller, actor, and poet.
Featuring a special performance by Andrew Bottoms & Megan Malzkuhn.
An evening of storytelling, language, and community.
The best part? It’s FREE!
The event is this April 24th! Doors open at 6:30 PM with the show beginning at 7:00 PM!
It will be at the George Sherman Union (GSU) Metcalf Ballroom on Commonwealth Avenue at Boston University!
Go to the link in our bio to RSVP or RSVP here: https://deafcenter.bu.edu/event-details-registration/deaf-space-1
What if one night could remind you why Deaf community matters?
This is more than an event. This is Deaf Space.
A night of storytelling, connection, and community, you will feel.
Featuring Will Fertman and Patrick Graybill, with a special performance of “Hearing Knows Best” by Andrew Bottoms and Megan Malzkuhn.
And yes…… it’s FREE.
The event is on April 24th! Doors opens at 6:30 PM, with the show starting at 7pm!
The event will be at the George Sherman Union (GSU) Metcalf Ballroom on the 2nd floor!
Come be part of something bigger!
Comment ‘RSVP’ to save your spot!
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Artificial Intelligence is already reshaping sign language: avatars, translation, and captioning.
The question isn’t if change is coming. It’s here.
What does it mean for our communities? What does it mean for the interpreters, the educators, and accessibility?
Are you excited? Are you curious? Are you unsure?
This is a new era. And we all have a role in shaping what comes next.
This April at Boston University, we’re bringing people together with deaf leadership at the center.
The conference is full, but the conversation isn’t.
👇 Tell us what YOU think about AI in the comments!
💬 Comment “TECHNOLOGY” to stay up to date about the conference and beyond.
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03/30/2026
Stories. Language. Community. ✨
Join us for Deaf Space — an evening of storytelling with Patrick Graybill and Will Fertman. Come connect, learn, and celebrate together!
📍 GSU Metcalf Ballroom
775 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA
🗓 April 24 | 7:00 PM
🎟 Free Event
Comment “RSVP” below to save your spot! You don’t want to miss this one!
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Black ASL is more than language. It is history. It is culture. It is identity. And it belongs in our classrooms.
We are proud to continue highlighting Franklin Jones Jr. and his powerful new book, created to raise awareness of Black ASL and challenge the way schools approach language and inclusion.
For too long, Black ASL has been overlooked, corrected, or left out of the conversation.
This book changes that.
Franklin provides educators with the tools to understand Black ASL, recognize its linguistic richness, and support Black Deaf students with respect and intention.
Black Deaf students deserve to see their language valued. They deserve classrooms that reflect their culture. They deserve more than inclusion in name only.
Including Black ASL in the curriculum is not extra. It is necessary. It is equity in action.
✨ This is Part 2 of our series highlighting the impact of the book and why Black ASL belongs in our schools.
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Black ASL is more than language. It’s history, culture, and identity.
We’re excited to celebrate Franklin Jones Jr., a lecturer at Boston University, who recently published a new book to raise awareness of Black ASL.
Black ASL emerged during segregation, when Black and white deaf students were separated, sometimes in different buildings, sometimes on entirely different campuses. Within those spaces, the Black Deaf community built and nurtured a language variety shaped by shared experiences, culture, and identity.
Black ASL reflects generations of community, resilience, and lived experience.
✨ This is Part 1 of our series highlighting the story behind the book and the history of Black ASL.
Stay tuned for more.
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Deaf children deserve literacy policies built for them, not ones that ignore how they learn.
The “Science of Reading” centers on phonics. But phonics depends on sound, and isn't accessible to deaf kids. The science shows that deaf kids can become skilled readers without using sound at all.
Yet 39 states now mandate a one-size-fits-all approach that includes sound-based reading instruction.
Twenty-five experts warn that this can cause harm.
Comment SCIENCE to learn why. 📚
Share to support literacy for all deaf children.
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She’s a pediatrician.
She’s also a mom of a deaf child.
She did everything she was told, and her daughter still experienced language deprivation.
Then they chose ASL and bilingual education.
Now she’s thriving, telling stories, and, most importantly, becoming herself.
Early language access matters.
Comment DOCTOR to receive the publication.
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