ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A linguistics professor at the University of New Mexico is helping shape the future of sign language research, using unique teaching methods that help her students re-imagine communication.
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Professor Erin Wilkinson is one of only a handful of deaf tenure-track professors in the United States with a focus on bilingualism. Her courses challenge assumptions about language and communication and how learning about these topics isn’t limited to spoken language. “So, there’s a lot to be learned from Deaf folks, how people learn the cues that make for effective communication, even though maybe other people don’t think it’s effective, but they’re obviously doing something right. I do think as a university, and also even outside of the university, we can learn so much about how we can connect,” explained Professor Erin Wilkinson.
As a deaf Professor Wilkinson, teaching hearing students, she believes it helps them better understand other communication strategies. She says that deaf people early on have to develop strong communication skills — growing up in a world where everyone is assumed to be hearing…