Woodbury, MN — Rania Johnson is focused on building opportunities for the diverse Deaf community. She grew up with multiple identities: adopted, Korean, and Deaf, raised by white, Deaf parents. Informed by this background, she is keenly aware of the disparities in language rights, education and services for Deaf people of color. She wants to discover the multiple ways that diverse Deaf people use their experiences to create, shift or shape meaning in their use of American Sign Language (ASL). She seeks to advocate for policies that train more people in the justice, social services and education systems in culturally rich and nuanced ASL. To advance this vision, she will pursue a doctoral program dedicated to training Deaf researchers in linguistic, community and leadership work. She will also expand her national network of BIPOC Deaf leaders.
