Melissa Malzkuhn

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

Early life and education

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 grandfather Eric Malzkuhn was a renowned storyteller, 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 in Deaf Studies from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., in 2008.[10]

Career

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

• 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

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. "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. Larimer, Sarah (May 28, 2017). "How Gallaudet University is working to reach young, deaf readers". The Washington Post.
9. 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. 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. 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

• Melissa Malzkuhn on the power of connecting through language on YouTube, PBS News House, January 31, 2019
• Creative Advocacy Through Visual Narrative | Melissa Malzkuhn on YouTube, March 6, 2015