About the Presenter...
Dr. MJ Bienvenu
MJ Bienvenu was raised in Baton Rouge, LA in an all-Deaf
family. She graduated from Louisiana School for the Deaf. She
received her BA in English in 1974 and MA in Linguistics in 1983, both
from Gallaudet University.
She worked in several places before coming to her
present job as Chair/Assistant Professor of ASL and Deaf Studies at
Gallaudet University including the National Association of the Deaf, the
University bookstore, and the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School as
their first Communication Specialist. At Gallaudet she has worked in
the Linguistics Research Lab as a research assistant (for 4 years), and
the English Department. In 1987 she became a co-director at the
Bicultural Center and later became an independent consultant. During
her role as ASL Program Coordinator, she completed her Ph.D in Linguistics
from Union Institute and University in 2003
MJ is a renowned ASL teacher and presenter on issues
related to ASL, Deaf Culture, Bilingual Education for Deaf Children,
interpretation, and oppression/empowerment. She is in a long-term
commitment with her partner and has furry children.
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