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US University to Help Deaf Youth in Nigeria
An American private university dedicated to the education of the deaf and hard of hearing says it will use a grant from the U.S. government to assist deaf youth in Nigeria.
Gallaudet University in Washington said it will use the $2.05 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help Nigeria develop programs for the education of deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing in the West African nation, which sends more students to the U.S. than any other on the continent.
More than 400 languages are spoken in Nigeria, and the initiative intends to make Nigerian Sign Language "more widely accepted and recognized," according to Khadijat Rashid, interim dean of the faculty at Gallaudet.
"We really need to shift the mindset to have people see that this is not a disability," Rashid said in a statement.
"It's really just a language barrier issue. If you teach deaf people in their language, they develop just fine like everyone else. When you pass by someone on the street, you don't know if they are deaf. They are just human," said Rashid, originally from Nigeria.
The initiative will promote education, employment and empowerment and was formerly called the Deaf-E3 Project. Gallaudet will partner with the Nigerian National Association of the Deaf and Wesley University-Ondo in Nigeria.
Gallaudet and its partners will develop bilingual education programs and promote collaboration and communication between Nigerian Sign Language interpreters and deaf consumers. They also will expand awareness of employment opportunities for the country's deaf community.
The initiative was the inspiration of the late Isaac O. Agboola, born and raised in Nigeria, and "a beloved Gallaudet alumnus, faculty member, and dean who passed away in 2017," according to the university announcement. "Dr. Agboola wanted to bring Gallaudet home to Nigeria," said Rashid.
Agboola was born and raised in Nigeria, and he was a student and co-worker of Gallaudet alum and teacher Andrew J. Foster, who founded 31 deaf schools across the African continent. Agboola first met Foster in 1971 while attending the Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf in Nigeria, and later worked for Foster's mission office in Ibadan.
USAID administers the U.S. foreign assistance program that provides economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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