Michella Basas
Professional Profile
Dr. Basas earned her Ph.D. in Special Education with a cognate in Literacy and Language and a focus on Deaf Education in 2014 as a fellow of the National Leadership Consortium on Sensory Disabilities from Michigan State University, East Lansing. This followed an M.Ed. in Special Education (with a focus on Deafness and Deaf Education) from the University of Hawai`i, Manoa in 2007 and a B.A. in Deaf Education and Elementary Education from Flagler College in 2000.
Dr. Basas’ research interests include content area reading practices and pedagogy as they relate to adolescent readers who are D/deaf and hard of hearing. She also has an interest in exploring critical pedagogy, critical literacy, and social justice within the context of k-12 education.
Dr. Basas is currently working on developing ways to foster philosophical partnership across professionals, parents, and members of the D/deaf community as they relate to linguistic and educational options for students who are D/deaf or hard of hearing through The Radical Middle project. More information about this project can be found at radicalmiddledhh.org.
Teaching
Flagler College Courses Taught:
- EDU 202: Introduction to Teaching and Learning
- ELL 301: Children’s Literature: Reading Across the Content Areas
- EDU 242: Introduction to Technology and Portfolio Design
- EDU 321: General Methods of Instruction
- EDD 349: Foundations of Education for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- EDU 357: Classroom Management
- ESE 365: Language Development and Speech Disabilities
- EDD 470: Methods of Teaching Language to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- EDD 515: Introduction to Research Seminar (Graduate Level Course)
- EDD 545: Practicum in Working with Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Graduate Level Course)
- EDD 560: Methods of Teaching Language to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Graduate Level Course)
- EDD 548: ASL in the Classroom Setting (Graduate Level Course)
Previously taught at:
- Delaware School for the Deaf (Newark, DE)
- Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)
- Michigan State University (via Hawaii, American Samoa, and Guam as a course facilitator/distance education facilitator of the PILI, Pacific Island Learning Initiative)
- Kapi’olani Community College (Honolulu, HI)
- University of Hawai’i as a course facilitator/distance education facilitator for Language Development for Deaf Children (Manoa, HI )
- Hawai’i School for the Deaf and the Blind (Honolulu, HI)
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Miami, FL)
Research
Presentations:
Presenter at multiple national and international conferences including: International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED), Athens, Greece; Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) San Diego, CA; American Educational Researchers Association (AERA) Philadelphia, PA; Association of College Educators- Deaf/ Hard of Hearing (ACE-DHH), Tuscon, AZ, Washington, D.C., Santa Fe, NM, Jacksonville, FL, and Dallas, TX; Office of Special Education Programs Project Directors (OSEP) Washington, D.C.; American Samoa Professional Development Deaf Education and ASL Certificate Program, Pago Pago, American Samoa; and Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities, Honolulu, HI.
2019 Roy Holcomb Distinguished Lecturer for the American Society for Deaf Children- Newark, Delaware
2018 Keynote Speaker for the Florida Educators, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Conference- Daytona Beach, Florida
2018 Keynote Speaker for Atlantic Provinces Special Educational Authority (APSEA) Annual Conference for Teacher of the Deaf- Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
2016 Keynote Speaker for - Achieving a Shared Vision: Success for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Conference, Flint, MI
Publications:
Maiorana-Basas (2019). Stronger together: Finding community and common-unity in deaf education. Raising and Educating Deaf Children: Foundations for Policy, Practice, and Outcomes. Retrieved from: http://www.raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org/2019/01/31/stronger-together-finding-community-and-common-unity-in-deaf-education/
Maiorana-Basas, M. (2018). A shift to the middle: Redefining the community of practice for deaf educators. Odyssey 19, 4-9.
Easterbrooks, S., & Maiorana-Basas, M. (2015). Literacy and DHH students: Research and practice. In H. Knoors & M. Marschark (Eds.), Educating Deaf Learners: Creating a Global Evidence Base, Oxford University Press.
Maiorana-Basas, M. & Pagliaro, C. M. (2014). Technology Use Among Adults Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A National Survey. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. Doi: 10.1093/deafed/enu005
Peer Review:
Peer reviewer for journals including: American Annals of the Deaf; Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education; Journal of Literacy Research, and Education and Treatment of Children
Professional and Institutional Service:
- Co-Editor, Raising and Educating Deaf Children: Foundations for Policy, Practice, and Outcomes http://raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org (2019-current)
- Chair of the Student Success Committee (Fall 2018-current)
- Developed the Minor of Study in ASL (Spring 2018)
- Co-Chair of the Student Success Committee (Fall 2017-2018)
- E-editor, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (2016-current)
- DCDD (Division of Communication Disabilities and Deafness) Constituent Chair for Deaf Hard of Hearing (2016-2018)
- Founding Member and Elected Chairperson of The Radical Middle: Unity NOT Uniformity in Deaf Education (2015-current)
- Webmaster and Website Design http://radicalmiddledhh.org/ (2015-current)
- Faculty Advisor, SPIRIT Club (2014-2016)
- Flagler College Faculty Senate (2015-2016 academic year)
- Board Member, Michigan Hands and Voices (2013- 2014)
Professional Organizations:
- Florida Educators, Deaf and Hard of Hearing (FEDHH)
- Association of College Educators- Deaf Hard of Hearing (ACEDHH)
- Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
- International Literacy Association (ILA)
- Hands and Voices
More Information
Honors and Awards:
Flagler College School of Business, Education, and Mathematics Award of Excellence, Spring 2019
American Society for Deaf Children Roy Holcomb Distinguished Lecturer Award, Summer 2019
Office location:
Kenan Hall 528
Office Hours (On Campus):
- Tuesday: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- Wednesday: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM