“We decided to bid on hosting the 12th International Deaf Academics and Researchers Conference knowing we were the underdog and knowing we would need to put in more work to win,” said Diane Clark, chair of the LU Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
Their hard work paid off when the department was awarded the bid to host the 2025 International Deaf Academics and Researchers Conference (DAC). The conference, hosted every two years and held in different corners of the world, is for academics and Deaf individuals to share their research.
“DAC is a place for Deaf people to gather without any hearing people, so they can support each other in their research in a safe environment,” said Clark. “Having been oppressed for so long, it is important for Deaf people to have this Deaf space.”
The 2025 DAC Conference will be held in Houston with more than 300 Deaf people from across the world expected to attend. The University of Houston will help sponsor the event. Members of the planning committee include Deaf Studies and Deaf Education faculty members Beverly Buchanan and Sean Hauschildt along with graduate assistant Paul Simmons.
For more information about the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, please visit lamar.edu/deafstudies.