Melissa Malzkuhn

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Melissa Malzkuhn is an American deaf advocate and founder of Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet University.[1][2][3] She was a 2018 Obama Fellow.[4][5][6]

Early life and education[edit]

Malzkuhn was born Deaf,[4] and is the third generation in her family to be deaf.[7] She grew up in a family where everyone could communicate with American Sign Language.[8] Her father enjoyed storytelling, and encouraged the children in the family to tell stories with signs.[8] She is originally from Fremont, California.[9]

Malzkuhn completed an MFA degree in visual narrative at the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2015.[4] She earned a master's degree from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., in 2009.[10]

Career[edit]

Within the Motion Light Lab, Malzkuhn uses motion-capture tools to create "signing avatars" used in interactive digital apps for deaf children.[8][11] The Motion Light Lab is a hub within the Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) at Gallaudet University, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.[11]

Malzkuhn's story, The Baobab, is for young children and is a bilingual story presented in both English and American Sign Language.[12] The Baobab is part of the VL2 Storybook App series, which is designed, managed, and co-created by Malzkuhn.[12] A review in the Journal of Education in 2016 recognized the appeal of The Baobab to children "whether Deaf or hearing", calling it a "well-crafted tale" well suited for instruction and creative inspiration, with a bilingual glossary that is "both intriguing and informative".[12] When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Motion Light Lab team released one VL2 Storybook App available for free each week.[13]

Malzkuhn helped to launch the Deaf Studies Digital Journal, and served as managing editor and co-executive editor.[9] In 2022, Malkuhn's artwork was displayed as part of the "Exploring Deaf Geographies" exhibit at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Hyattsville, Maryland.[14]

Publications[edit]

  • Herzig, Melissa and Malzkuhn, Melissa (2015). "Bilingual Storybook Apps: An Interactive Reading Experience for Children". Odyssey. pp. 40–44.
  • Malzkuhn, Melissa (2016). "The Role of the NAD in the American Eugenics Movement". NADmag 16(1):28–33.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Melissa Malzkuhn, Deaf Advocate". PBS NewsHour. January 31, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Bowman, Emma (June 28, 2015). "When It Comes To Learning For The Deaf, 'It's A 3-D Language'". NPR. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Foreman, Paige (May 1, 2015). "How the Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet is making bilingual books for Deaf children". Technical.ly DC. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Digital Advancements for the Deaf: SVA Alumnus Melissa Malzkuhn on Her 2018 Obama Fellowship". School of Visual Arts | SVA | New York City. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Melissa Malzkuhn - Obama Foundation Fellow". Obama Foundation. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Face to Face with the Fellows: Melissa Malzkuhn". Obama Foundation. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "PBS NewsHour: Brief But Spectacular". PBS Newshour. January 31, 2019 – via Gale.
  8. ^ a b c Larimer, Sarah (May 28, 2017). "How Gallaudet University is working to reach young, deaf readers". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ a b Herzig, Melissa; Malzkuhn, Melissa (2015). "Bilingual Storybook Apps: An Interactive Reading Experience for Children". Odyssey. pp. 40–44.
  10. ^ "Gallaudet University Dissertations and Theses". American Annals of the Deaf. 154 (2): 262. 2009. ISSN 0002-726X. JSTOR 26234603.
  11. ^ a b Leigh, Irene W.; Andrews, Jean F.; Harris, Raychelle L.; Ávila, Topher González (November 12, 2020). Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States, Second Edition. Plural Publishing. ISBN 978-1-63550-180-3.
  12. ^ a b c Nolan, Elizabeth; Indrisano, Roselmina (January 2016). "The Baobab, a Storybook App". Journal of Education. 196 (1): 53–54. doi:10.1177/002205741619600109. ISSN 0022-0574. S2CID 188336231. ProQuest 1776673905.
  13. ^ Newhouse, Kara (August 31, 2020). "Why Deaf Students Need Access to ASL Stories During Distance Learning - MindShift". KQED. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  14. ^ Jenkins, Mark (February 11, 2022). "In the galleries: The art of looking inward to provoke societal change". Washington Post.
  15. ^ Malkuhn, Melissa (2016). "The Role of the NAD during the American Eugenics Movement". NADmag. National Association for the Deaf. pp. 28–33. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Issuu.com.

External links[edit]

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