Farah Kish-Leland

Farah Kish-Leland is a faculty member in American Sign Language (ASL) at Kent State University. As a Deaf educator, she brings extensive personal and professional experience in ASL, Deaf culture, and language education to her teaching. Her instructional approach emphasizes the development of students’ receptive and expressive ASL skills, linguistic competence, and cultural understanding.

Her teaching is grounded in student-centered and experiential learning, with an emphasis on meaningful communication, active participation, and the practical application of ASL. She is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible learning environment that supports students with diverse educational backgrounds and encourages continued engagement with the Deaf community and Deaf culture.

In addition to her university teaching, Kish-Leland provides foundational ASL training through the Peace Academy for public safety professionals. This training introduces participants to basic ASL communication and provides practical strategies for communicating effectively with Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in public safety and community settings. Through this work, she promotes greater accessibility, cultural awareness, and effective communication between public safety professionals and members of the Deaf community.

Through her teaching, professional development, and community engagement, Kish-Leland is committed to advancing ASL education, promoting equitable access to communication, and preparing students and professionals to communicate effectively and respectfully within diverse communities and professional settings.