USING DEAF ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION TO BRIDGE WORLDS

By: TJ Meehan Clemson ’25

Resilience, flexibility and the strength of inclusive communities are all demonstrated by Jason Hurdich’s life. Hurdich, a Phi Psi alumnus, a devoted teacher and a proud father of four, has dedicated more than 30 years to removing barriers to communication in higher education.

His story is one of tenacity, passion and the enduring power of Brotherhood. He began as a Deaf student navigating college life and is now a professor influencing the next generation of American Sign Language learners.

Hurdich

Hurdich, who was born and grew up in New York, traveled across the nation to attend college at California State University, Northridge, where he found Phi Psi. “I liked the Fraternity because it was open to Deaf students and the people were friendly, he recalled.” One or two brothers were interested in learning ASL and were majoring in Deaf studies.

While Phi Psi made the effort, some of his friends joined fraternities where no one knew how to sign. It meant a lot for Phi Psi to be inclusive. For Hurdich, the chapter was a place where he could fully engage without any restrictions; it was not just a social group. He maintains contact with one of his Brothers despite the decades that have gone by since his 1993 initiation.

Before settling at Clemson, where he has been an ASL and Deaf culture professor for the past eight years, Hurdich taught for 30 years at a variety of institutions. He moved to South Carolina to be nearer to his four children. He soon discovered how much he missed teaching after taking a brief break from it.

“I saw an opportunity at Clemson and knew I needed to return to the classroom,” he said. “Teaching isn’t just a job for me — it’s a calling.”

One of just five Deaf professors at Clemson, Hurdich offers his students a distinct viewpoint. He stresses the value of learning ASL from a native speaker. A hearing person can teach the fundamentals, he said, but they can’t fully convey the Deaf experience.

“I was raised Deaf, so I bring a deep understanding of the language’s cultural nuances, challenges, and beauty — insight that a hearing teacher simply cannot replicate,” he said.

His classes help students comprehend the history, challenges and victories of the Deaf community by immersing them in Deaf culture and going beyond vocabulary.

Ensuring accessibility in academia is one of his main challenges. Universities are legally obligated to make accommodations, but this isn’t always the case. “Whether the university offers the appropriate accessibility tools is the challenge,” he said. “In the classroom, I teach directly in American Sign Language to encourage students to communicate with me in ASL. However, during meetings, I depend on accommodations to facilitate communication.”

“Society becomes more inclusive the more people understand ASL and Deaf culture.”

Technological developments have had a profound impact. Platforms like Zoom, AI-powered captions and video-relay services have completely changed how the Deaf community communicates. “The accessibility features on iPhones are incredible, and automatic captions are getting better every day,” he said.

Still, he acknowledges that AI has yet to fully incorporate ASL. “At the moment, AI is not fluent, but it can recognize some signs,” he said, “and I am sure it will pick it up sooner than we think.”

Hurdich finds that seeing his students succeed is the most rewarding aspect of his work. “It’s really satisfying to see them use ASL in the real world, whether as teachers, interpreters or allies,” he said. “They’re learning how to interact with a whole community, not just a language.”

Teaching wasn’t always his dream. He was accepted to law school during his final year of college and contemplated becoming a lawyer. However, he discovered at the last second that teaching was his passion. “I fell in love with teaching and never looked back,” he said.

Hurdich intends to keep dismantling barriers — one student at a time. “I want to influence change for the future,” he said. “Society becomes more inclusive the more people understand ASL and Deaf culture.” Hurdich’s advice for anyone interacting with the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community is straightforward: “Don’t be afraid.”

Simply put, our communication styles are different. Avoiding interaction is the worst thing you can do. A simple gesture, a smile or even just writing something down can make a big difference.

He imparts life lessons to Phi Psi undergraduates, saying, “Enjoy every moment. College goes by quickly. Take your time, learn, connect and enjoy the experience instead of rushing through it. After graduation, the real world will still exist, so make the most of every moment you have.”