Claudia L. Gordonwas born in Jamaica. Many shrugged off my grand intention as wishful thinking. So I wanted to highlight Claudia L. Gordon, the first known deaf black American woman to earn aJuris Doctor. Claudia Gordon is the first deaf African American woman to become a lawyer. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission", "InfoGuides: SOCI 240 Deaf Culture: Popular Magazines", "Google Paints Stunning Portraits of Disability Rights Heroes on Washington, D.C. Steps", "National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC)", "Claudia Gordon's Appointment as Public Engagement Advisor at the White House | News", "AAPD Applauds Appointment of Claudia Gordon as Public Engagement Advisor at the White House", "Claudia L. Gordon, Esq. Gordon is also associated with the National Coalition for Disability Rights , where she is part of their national governance, Sources: http://deafness.about.com/od/deafwomen/p/claudiagordon.htm http://www.deafpeople.com/dp_of_month/Gordon.html, Sylvia Walker: A Champion for Disability Rights, Filed Under: Access Awareness, General, Making a Case for Accessibility, [] at the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center, giving her the opportunity to provide direct representation and advocacy for poor deaf persons with a particular emphasis on outreach []. Claudia L Gordon is Trustee at Gallaudet University. By my junior year in high school, I made it known to all that I would go to law school and become an attorney. Claudia was a member of the Obama Administration from December 2009 to January 2017 initially serving as Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and then as OFCCP's Chief of Staff. Want more stories like this? Claudia and her younger siblings were left in the care of her eldest sister, Mildred Taylor, a schoolteacher. Born in Jamaica, Gordon went deaf around the age of eight years old after she suddenly developed severe pain in her middle ears. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In 2020, she served on the Disability Inclusion Funds grantmaking committee.Previously, Rifkind was Program Manager at The Chicago Community Trust, where she developed their disability inclusion priorities and practices and managed several disability inclusion initiatives, including the Disabilities Fund, ADA 25 Advancing Leadership, and ADA 25 Chicago. Claudia remembers how she was treated in Jamaica after going deaf. [15], Gordon was part of the Presidential Delegation of Barack Obama sent to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Paralympics. In Jamaica, Gordon could not get an education, so she moved to the United States where she attended first a public school, then the Lexington School and Center for the Deaf in New York. [9], By my junior year in high school, I made it known to all that I would go to law school and become an attorney. See Claudia L. Gordon full list of movies and tv shows from their career. For each of the 28 days of February, we at The Mary Sue will have a post about a black woman you should know aboutsome you may have heard of, some a little bit more obscure, and some fictional who still deserve a lot of love. A one-size-fits-all emergency preparedness and response approach for people with disabilities does not take into account that, for example, that those who are deaf have one set of needs when a catastrophe strikes, while those with mobility impairments have a whole other set of needs, Gordon stated, this misperception can be corrected by having planners understand that you cant indentify someone as simply having a disability. You need to go beyond their essence, look at the functional limitations their disability creates, and then make a plan to address those practical limitations., For those with disabilities, Claudia offers the following emergency preparedness advice: Make sure you and your family are prepared. [16], Before joining T-Mobile to lead strategies for disability-inclusive culture and accessible work environment,[17] Gordon was a Senior Manager of Government and Compliance at Sprint. Claudia Gordon is the third featured guest in the Council on Women and Girls: Meet the Women of the Administration series. However, at OFCCP we are going to the public particularly to leaders and grassroots advocates in the disability community before we even craft the policy changes so that they can weigh in on our efforts and shape the laws that will directly impact their lives. Not being around or in a community that supported deafness became a problem: I thought I was the only deaf person in the world. In Jamaica, deaf and disabled persons are stigmatized and Gordon remembered that a deaf woman who lived in the area was called dummy, by local children who threw rocks at her. With no doctor on duty, the nurse couldnt figure out what was wrong, only that Claudia was going deaf. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Princess (she/her-bisexual) is a Brooklyn born Megan Fox truther, who loves Sailor Moon, mythology, and diversity within sci-fi/fantasy. Claudia L. Gordon is Director of Government and Compliance with T-Mobile Accessibility a Business Unit within T-Mobile that offers communication products and services to reduce or eliminate communication barriers for customers with disabilities. He is currently employed with the Native American Disability Law Center as the Community and Government Liaison engaged in Disability Systems Advocacy with the Navajo Nation and other Native American Tribes. There she learned sign language, participated in sports, and rose to the top of her class. Friends slowly disappeared and what was usually a cheerful hello was replaced by an awkward smile, curious stares and even outright ridicule. In 2004, she was named secretary of the Board for the Lexington Board of Directors. This is long overdue. When she graduated from the school in 2000, she became the first known deaf black American woman to earn a Juris Doctor. The former Miss Deaf American and Delta Sigma Theta member, is a member of many organizations including the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center and Black Law Students Association. Claudia also answers to Caudia Gordon, Claudia Haller Gordon, Claudia H Gordon, Glaudia H Gordon and Claudia Haller Gordon, and perhaps a couple of other names. @claudia.l.gordon.1. See Photos. She was instrumental in drafting and implementing an executive order on Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness. WASHINGTON Today, President Biden announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to serve as members on the National Council on Disability: National Council on DisabilityNational Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency charged with advising the President, Congress, and other federal agencies regarding policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities. She was given some antibiotics but she eventually became deaf. Philanthropic organization are vital to the work of advancing disability inclusion and access. In 1995, she graduated form Howard University with a Bachelors in . Gordon has held senior leadership positions with Sprint Corporation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the National Council on Disability, and the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center. What has been your favorite moment since youve been working for the Department of Labor? How Long Will Joe Goldbergs Rampage Be Left Unchecked? The clinic nurse couldn't diagnose the pain in Gordon's middle ears, nor could the healers restore her hearing. This political appointment made Gordon the first deaf person to work at the White House in a detailee capacity. The information provided by WeCo (The Wehrman Collaborative, LLC) is not intended or designed to be used as, or take the place of, legal advice. 234 Likes, 63 Comments - Claudia L. Gordon (@cascade4ever) on Instagram: "Happy Valentines Day friends!! Your email address will not be published. Since earning her juris doctorate from AU, Gordon has been active in working to ensure the rights of people with disabilities are respected. Growing up, I witnessed her hard work and sacrifices as she struggled to raise my two siblings and me, all on her own, deep in the rural countryside of Jamaica, W.I. [10] While at WCL, she bagged the Myers Law Scholarship twice as well as the J. Franklin Bourne Scholarship. As she became deaf during the summer, the school and her parents decided that Claudia couldn't go back to school in the fall. When I suddenly lost my ability to hear at the age of eight, I was taken out of school and kept at home to perform chores. She provides advice and technical assistance to the leadership and components of DHS that are geared towards implementation and enforcement of disability civil rights laws, regulations, and Executive Orders. She was deaf at the age of eight. In 2022, Braddy was selected by Senator Robert Casey, Jr., as one of four Black leaders in Pennsylvania who has demonstrated power and persistency in overcoming challenges and creating meaningful change in the State, and his contribution was acknowledged on the Senate Floor at a Congressional Hearing. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She most recently served as an Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement as the Biden-Harris Administrations liaison to Disabled Americans and K-12 educators.Voordes personal passions and professional expertise center on justice for individuals with disabilities and equitable access to education. Her mother immigrated to the South Bronx so that she could earn Also, mentoring youth and young adults with disabilities keeps me motivated. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University,Theo W. Braddy, Member, National Council on DisabilityTheo W. Braddy has advocated on behalf of people with disabilities for over 40 years. Deseo toda la felicidad del mundo para ti , alegrias , risas y mucha" Team Zutara forever. When she immigrated to America -- the South Bronx --she kept right on working to ensure that within a few years she would be reunited with her three children, whom she had left in the care of her eldest sister, my aunt Mildred Taylor. For her unrelenting commitment to advocacy, compliance, civic engagement, and mentoring, Gordon has been recognized by the American Association of People with Disabilities, Google, AT&T Humanity of Connection, National Disability Mentoring Coalition, National Association of the Deaf, National Black Deaf Advocates, and The Root 100. At Lexington, she learned sign language for the first time and became the valedictorian of her junior and senior high school graduating classes. Given the fact that nearly one in four American workers is employed by a company that receives Federal funds for contracted work, stronger Section 503 regulations, backed by real enforcement, will ensure that more people with disabilities have equal employment opportunity in the labor force. Her mother immigrated to the South Bronx, in New York, so that she could earn a better living, and planned to reunite with her children as soon as she could. The discrimination, that she experienced in Jamaica and in general, inspired her to become a lawyer. Teaming up with others who have similar disabilities and being vocal about your needs are necessary in order to be properly prepared., American Bar Association She assisted in the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, monitoring how Federal agencies worked together to ensure that deaf and disabled persons were included in emergency-preparedness plans. [1] She currently works as a Senior Accessibility Strategy Partner at T-Mobile within its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team. It's time to renew your membership and keep access to free CLE, valuable publications and more. Now, she has come on the inside to create change from within government. Gordon later emigrated to the United States and reunited with her mother, who was living in South Bronx, New York. Previously, Claudia was a Planning & Performance Mo nitoring Officer at HEART Trust/NTA and also held positions at Lexington School for the Deaf, Goje Frozen Yogurt, Department of Homeland Security. As the first deaf black female attorney in the United States, Claudia Gordon recounts her childhood in the West Indies, her search for identity while grappling with audism in a hearing college, and her ongoing quest to create spaces in society for seldom-heard voices. Thank you for this feature! February 29, 2016 by Sue Ann Rodriquez 1 Comment. What I do know is that the life of this woman ostracized as dummy almost became my own but for my mothers triumph in successfully bringing me to America by the time I was eleven years old. This is historical material frozen in time. I think its an exciting way for government to function and is in keeping with the high standards of inclusion, openness and transparency that the President has set for all of us.