Letter of Intent
When I really sat down to think about my motivations for coming back to complete my BA at UW, after a decades-long hiatus from academia, I concluded with certainty it wasn't “just to get the paper.” There were degree paths I could easily have picked up and had that diploma in hand within a year or so (and I admit, that was tempting). However, I recognized I had a rare and precious opportunity to return to college as an adult, with decades of professional and life experience, who could approach learning from a more thoughtful perspective. I have gained wisdom to look at who I am, who I want to become, and find where I might apply my energies best in the world after my studies are done.
I first entered the UW at age 17, planning to pursue a Drama major. Around that time, I fell in love with American Sign Language and the Seattle Deaf community; but UW did not offer ASL coursework, let alone a related major. After two years, I pivoted to the ASL Interpreter program at Seattle Central, imagining a way to combine my two loves with work in Deaf theater and arts spaces. However, when my financial circumstances shifted, I entered the workforce full-time, and the program closed before I could return. I vowed that I would eventually return to this language and culture, even if informally.
In the intervening years, I built a career as a teacher, artist, and performer—mentoring students, performing and teaching across North America, and ultimately opening my own dance and wellness studio. In 2020, the pandemic brought a tectonic shift, closing a fulfilling 25-year chapter. Embracing this transition, I remembered the promise I made years ago and enrolled in an online ASL class during lockdown.
Over the past six years, ASL and Deaf culture have again become the central focus of my life and work.
In addition to continuous independent study of American Sign Language in both formal and informal educational contexts, I founded a weekly community practice group—Seattle ASL Social—that has met consistently for four years, supporting students and signers at every level in a Deaf culture and language centered gathering space. For over two years, I volunteered my time as a teaching assistant in a Deaf-led classroom at North Seattle College, updating a full academic year of curriculum to support current pedagogy and instructional technologies, while joyfully teaching and supporting students of all levels, both in and outside the classroom. I also served as ASL Club President, organizing cultural events and campus programming, and continue today as an advisor-at-large. My instructor encouraged me to attend the ASL Teacher's Association national conference at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC—a five-day immersive experience in Deaf culture, linguistics, and pedagogy at a Deaf-centered university—which was incredibly motivating, and rooted me further in my conviction that this was a realm of study I wanted to engage with more deeply. Along the way, I have connected with friends and mentors in the Deaf and ASL teaching community who have urged me to formalize this work through higher education, leading me back to UW.
Because no ASL or Deaf Studies major yet exists at UW, I initially matriculated into the ECO program (Education, Communities, & Organizations) in the College of Education and declared an ASL minor. However, discovering the Individualized Studies pathway provided the exact framework needed to pursue this interdisciplinary field of study in earnest. I bring with me a depth of experience with the language and community. My intent now is to broaden the context: to ground personal and community-based knowledge I have gained within a wider, academically rigorous inquiry.
After years of sustained study and engagement with ASL and Deaf studies, I see Individualized Studies as an opportunity to synthesize language, culture, history, education, and social justice inquiry under one cohesive framework. Pursuing this tailored pathway, I will be empowered to work with trusted mentors to create an interdisciplinary road map and academic foundation, supporting the work I hope to continue in education, the arts, and the communities I hope to serve.
Statement of Purpose
American Sign Language is a central pillar of my proposed major, ASL and Deaf Studies. However, language study alone is insufficient to critically engage with the multidimensional Deaf experience in a predominantly hearing society. Deaf individuals navigate complex intersections of linguistic minority status, disability/ableist paradigms, cultural identity, education policy, and socio-political power structures. Investigating these intersections requires interdisciplinary frameworks spanning linguistics, critical disability studies, equity and inclusion, and histories of advocacy and contemporary movements. In short: ASL and Deaf Studies is the degree focus; language, history, disability/ableism frameworks, and social justice are the interdisciplinary lenses through which I intend to study it.
Academic Objectives
My primary objectives are to deepen my understanding of Deaf community values; explore the cultural intersections and tensions between the Deaf and hearing world; examine the connectedness of language, politics, constructions of disability, and society; and develop the knowledge and frameworks necessary to contribute meaningfully to a more inclusive and equitable world.
In compiling my proposal, I researched Deaf Studies programs at universities across the US, cross-referencing their class offerings and topics of inquiry with the course catalog available at the University of Washington as of this writing. I feel that while it does not offer a major in ASL & Deaf Studies at this time, UW does offer the components to construct an Individualized Study pathway that offers similar breadth and depth of inquiry through cross-disciplinary studies.
Learning Goals
- Examine the values, histories, and social structures that shape Deaf communities, past and present, with particular focus on tensions between pathological models of deafness and cultural-linguistic frameworks.
- Analyze systemic barriers in education, public policy, and access through critical disability theory, engaging in collaborative and culturally-sensitive inquiry alongside Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) communities.
- Synthesize linguistic fluency, pedagogical theory, and community-engaged research to understand effective frameworks for cross-cultural communication, advocacy, and inclusivity in education, the arts, and beyond.
Interdisciplinary Framework
I approach these learning objectives through an interdisciplinary strategy which Individualized Studies supports, encompassing three interconnected areas of study, reflected in my proposed curriculum:
Language & Linguistics
Authentic communication with those I seek to collaborate with and learn from.- Develop advanced language proficiency in ASL, both expressive and receptive, across formal, academic, and conversational registers.
- Analyze ASL as both a visual-spatial language and a transmitter of cultural identity.
- Engage with sociolinguistic anthropology—how language and identity interrelate, both informing the culture and being shaped by it in return.
Deaf Culture, History, & Community
Understand what came before, what is happening now, and what the future may hold.- Deepen cultural competence surrounding Deaf identity as a linguistic and cultural minority, rooted in the framework of Deafhood (Paddy Ladd), the personal process of self-identifying and self-actualizing as a member of the Deaf community.
- Examine composite identities and intersectional lived experiences within Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH), disability, race, and other marginalized identities.
- Trace the historical underpinnings of modern Deaf culture, language, and disability rights, and the milestones that continue to shape the community today.
- Explore Deaf arts, literature, and traditions as forms of personal expression, cultural transmission, and community identity.
- Investigate how Deaf communities develop, survive, and thrive in predominantly hearing societies.
Critical Disability Studies & Social Justice
Empowerment through awareness of systemic barriers, educational equity, and thoughtful action.- Interrogate systems of ableism and audism, including ways I may internalize and/or perpetuate them; develop greater awareness of my own positionality and pathways toward responsible advocacy.
- Examine how disability is constructed through social, cultural, medical, and political lenses.
- Evaluate ethical methods of community collaboration that lean on collective knowledge and, when appropriate, use privilege to elevate Deaf perspectives within the dominant hearing culture.
This framework will engage with three Arts & Humanities departments—Linguistics/American Sign Language, Anthropology, and Law, Societies, & Justice/Disability Studies—as well as the College of Education.
At 58–61 credits, approximately 75% of the courses are 300 level and above in the current proposal.
A majority of courses are from the College of Arts & Sciences (Linguistics—ASL; Anthropology; Law, Societies, & Justice/Disability Studies).
Assessment Plan
I propose that my learning progress be assessed on an ongoing basis, through three complementary mechanisms: structured, written reflections on my coursework; feedback from faculty mentors; and my INDIV 493 Senior Study capstone project.
Reflection Journal & Mentor Feedback
Throughout the program, I will maintain dialogue with my faculty mentor, keeping a personal journal of my progress and offering periodic reflections connecting individual courses to my learning objectives as outlined. I will use these reflections and mentor discussions to evaluate my progress regularly throughout the quarter, and inform revisions of my course plan if a course does not contribute as anticipated. I propose a 2–3 page essay submitted each academic quarter, to be reviewed by my faculty mentor, which will evaluate how my coursework is advancing my stated learning objectives.
Building on an approach I encountered while a student in EDSPE 422, and subsequently developed further in the module I designed for that class during my independent study last spring, I envision these essays as opportunities to bring together insights and excerpts from my diverse readings and coursework—examining the interconnectedness of themes and questions explored across different classes. This would provide a meaningful way to assess not only my learning within each individual course, but also the effectiveness of the cross-disciplinary studies at the heart of my Individualized Studies degree. These ongoing evaluations may also offer valuable pedagogical insight for the ASL Department faculty as they explore future ASL and Deaf Studies major coursework development at UW.
In ASL & Deaf Studies, accountability to the Deaf community is a core tenet. Mentor evaluations offered by my ASL department faculty sponsors and mentors—assessing and offering actionable critique of my cultural competence and demonstrated understanding—will be an essential metric of my progress.
Capstone / Senior Study (INDIV 493)
My INDIV 493 Senior Study will provide the opportunity to synthesize my learning across American Sign Language, Deaf culture and history, and disability and social justice, demonstrating not simply completion of coursework but my ability to integrate these perspectives into a substantive capstone submission. My project concept as I am envisioning it today would bridge the knowledge I have gained from my proposed coursework with research, creative practices, and community engagement. It would represent a unique opportunity to draw on the full spectrum of my academic, professional, and life experiences to realize an original, interdisciplinary final project. The project concept will be submitted for my sponsors' input and final approval, so it is subject to change; I offer the details of my initial concept only to demonstrate one way I might combine my diverse skillset into a project reflecting both my educational and personal journey to this point.
Annotated Course Plan
Status key: Completed Enrolled, Autumn 2026 Planned
| Course | Status | Credits | Rationale & Learning Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASL 201 Intermediate Sign Language I |
Completed | 5 | Intermediate language study fosters improved communication in Deaf community settings. Explorations into Deaf literature offer opportunities to critically analyze storytelling, a cherished tradition in Deaf culture. Culture readings introduce foundational concepts of ableism and audism. Required community participation expands understanding of lived experience outside the classroom. |
| ASL 202 Intermediate Sign Language II |
Completed | 5 | Continuation and expansion of ASL 201 topics. |
| ASL 203 Intermediate Sign Language III |
Completed | 5 | Introduces global signing communities. Through a virtual international exchange, students learn how deafness is experienced in other countries and compare linguistic features via weekly sessions with instructors abroad—raising questions about accessibility, policy, and the sociocultural forces shaping Deaf experience worldwide. |
| ASL 301 Advanced Sign Language I |
Enrolled, A26 | 5 | Introduction to sign language linguistics, sociolinguistics, and regional and social variation. Advanced grammar study alongside continued community engagement locally and internationally, broadening understanding of d/Deaf identity and language worldwide. |
| ASL 302 Advanced Sign Language II |
Completed | 5 | Advanced language study exploring the development of Deaf cultural norms across history, from the earliest records of signed languages to today—tracing linguistic and cultural roots, and examining culturally appropriate humor and metaphor for more nuanced communication. |
| ASL 303 Advanced Sign Language III |
Completed | 5 | Refines linguistic register and presentation skills through academic readings on Deaf culture, arts, and science, plus current events. Students present in ASL throughout the quarter, developing register code-switching for real-world settings. |
| ASL 305 Introduction to American Deaf Culture |
Completed | 3 | A comprehensive primer in Deaf history, culture, traditions, sociology, Deafhood/identity, and the arts, with space to self-reflect on broader themes of oppression and intersectionality. Introduces the concept of Deaf gain, celebrating Deafness through a lens of valuable human biodiversity. |
| DIS ST 230 Intro to Disability Studies |
Enrolled, A26 | 5 | Foundational grounding in disability and accessibility in contemporary society, and how these ideas developed over time—laying the base for critical disability theory analyzed through social, cultural, and political lenses rather than strictly medical ones. |
| EDSPE 304 Disability and Ableism in Education |
Enrolled, A26 | 3 | Examines the experiences of people with disabilities in education. Coming from a teaching background and hoping to continue in education, this fills key gaps and connects directly to themes of oppression and marginalization common to the Deaf lived experience. |
| ANTH 376 Anthropology of Disability |
Planned, W27 | 5 | Speaks directly to my learning objectives, exploring disability as a sociocultural phenomenon connected to identity, institutions, and social structure. Instructor Heather D. Clark is a former ASL interpreter whose doctoral work examined ASL and African American Deaf communities of the PNW—an ideal fit for this plan. |
| ASL 499 ASL Independent Study |
Planned, W27 & Sp27 | 6–10 | Topic to be decided. The ASL department director, Lance Forshay, had already discussed pursuing independent study once I exhausted ASL course offerings. My faculty sponsor, Kristi, and I will define topics each quarter, with credit awarded commensurate with the work agreed upon. |
| INDIV 493 Senior Study |
Planned, Sp27 | 5 | Capstone project, to be defined and refined; pending acceptance to Individualized Studies. |
| Total Core Credits | 57–61 | ||
| Course | Status | Credits | Rationale & Learning Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDUC 320 Independent Community-Based Learning |
Completed | 5 | A CELE placement involving close collaboration with a Deaf teacher and ASL learners, continuing my TA work in a college-level ASL program: developing in-class materials, refining curriculum, and assistant teaching. I independently wrote fifteen Deaf celebrity dossiers and a primer on Deaf culture and history, both adopted as study materials now used in two colleges and one high school. |
| EDUC 251 Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity |
Completed | 5 | Challenges students to examine the cultural messages we receive, who perpetuates them, and how we accept or reject these narratives across marginalized identities—race, gender, (dis)ability, socio-economic class—fitting tightly with this degree's areas of interest. |
| EDSPE 422 (Dis)ability, Education, & the Arts |
Completed | 5 | In Deaf culture, disability is understood to exist in the environment, with labels of “disablement” predicated on socially and medically constructed ideas of “normal.” Explores the construction of disability through arts-based inquiry, with critical examination of bias, oppressive structures, and activism. |
| EDPSY 499 Independent Study |
Completed | 3 | Following an invitation from Professor Cap Peck after a class presentation, I designed and implemented a five-part d/Deafness and Disability module for his EDSPE 422 course—combining skills in teaching, the arts, disability theory, and Deaf culture. |
| Total Elective Credits | 18 | ||
Proposed Schedule
Appendices
Timeline & Contingency Planning
If approved, I am positioned to complete all Individualized Studies Major requirements in the 2026–2027 academic year.
Understanding there are often course scheduling shifts or cancellations, I have reached out personally to many of the department directors and instructors to confirm current catalog offerings. I have also taken time to compile a list of alternative upper-division coursework in key areas, should it be necessary to pivot due to schedule changes. As new schedules are released, I will review confirmed offerings with my faculty mentor and/or my INDIV advisor. If a course is unavailable or changes significantly such that it no longer aligns with my stated learning objectives, I will immediately submit an alternative course or independent study proposal for approval.
Ultimately, I maintain significant flexibility regarding my graduation timeline—a luxury I recognize is not available to all undergraduates. Should scheduling shifts be necessary to meet specific academic benchmarks, or otherwise push my graduation back to accommodate unexpected changes to the current proposal, I am fully prepared to adjust my plans accordingly.
Credit Cap Waiver Request
The Individualized Studies guidelines note a general cap of 135 credits accumulated at the time of application/admission for the program. My current credit count includes coursework from when I first matriculated at UW in 1992, college-in-high-school credits, and associate degree coursework. As a returning adult student with clearly defined academic goals, these legacy credits reflect a non-traditional educational trajectory rather than academic indecision. I respectfully request a waiver of this credit cap so that I may pursue this focused, interdisciplinary degree path.
Plan B
I am open to conditional acceptance of my plan, and welcome feedback regarding adjustments to my proposal. If my Individualized Studies proposal is not approved, I will continue in my current academic pathway with the College of Education, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Communities, & Organizations (ECO) with an ASL minor. I have consulted with ECO advising, and have confirmed my existing coursework is still on track for degree completion on my original timeline.
While the ECO major is an excellent foundation for my interest in community dynamics, organizational structures, and educational equity, it does not offer opportunities to delve deeper into coursework specifically focused on my personal education objectives related to ASL, Deaf history, community and culture, and critical disability studies. The Individualized Studies major remains the only academic avenue at the University of Washington that synthesizes these disciplines into a rigorous course of ASL & Deaf Studies aligned with my educational objectives.
Mentor Agreement Form — Kristi Winter, Linguistics Department: ASL Faculty Member
Signed by faculty sponsor Kristi Winter (Linguistics) on August 26, 2026, agreeing to serve as faculty mentor, provide ongoing advising over the course of study, and supervise the INDIV 493 Senior Study in the final quarter before graduation.
