HILARY FRANKLIN, M.A.

Hilary Franklin is a deaf cued American English native and fluent ASL user. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy with a specialization in education policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in Teaching American Sign Language as a Foreign Language from Teachers College at Columbia University. Her master's thesis examines "Occurrences in Redundant Pronouns in Agreement Phrases by Second Language Learners of American Sign Language." Ms. Franklin specializes in teaching deaf ASL signers and interpreters how to cue American English as well as in mentoring cuers interested in becoming certified instructors of Cued Speech. In 2005, she became the first deaf NCSA-certified instructor of Cued Speech. In 2009, she co-founded the NCSA program Cuers for Leadership, Education, and Advocacy Resources (CLEAR). She also co-authored the Cued Speech entry in the Encyclopedia of American Disability History. Ms. Franklin works as an analytic writer and editor for the Department of Defense.