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They Refused To Listen To Me My Experience with Mold, Title IX Violations, Ignored Accommodations, and Retaliation at Gallaudet University Gallaudet University holds a unique and powerful position in American higher education. As the world’s only university designed specifically for deaf and hard of hearing students—and as a federally chartered institution funded by Congress—it has a responsibility not just to its students, but to the public it serves. That responsibility includes upholding federal civil rights laws like Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act. My experience has shown how far Gallaudet still has to go to live up to that obligation. I earned my BA from Gallaudet, so when I was hired to return as a faculty member, I was deeply honored. It felt like coming full circle. I was excited to be part of a university that promised full accessibility—100% access, equity, and support. These were the values Gallaudet publicly stood for, and I believed in them wholeheartedly. Teaching quickly became one of my greatest joys. I loved helping students learn how to think for themselves. On the first day of class, I often handed out a sheet of paper with a simple square on it and asked students to draw whatever came to mind. Afterward, we’d look at everyone’s work together. “What do you notice?” I’d ask. Sometimes a student would smile and say, “Someone drew outside the box!” “Exactly,” I’d reply. “That’s what I want you to remember in this class—think outside the See more