To Be Disabled or Not to Be Disabled: That is the Question

Ben Jarashow was born deaf in California and grew up at the California School for the Deaf, Fremont. It was there that his passion for ASL storytelling was cultivated, but his love for Deaf Studies wasn’t realized until he enrolled in college. After that light bulb moment, he went on to graduate from Gallaudet University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Deaf Studies. In 2006, Ben then obtained his Master’s degree in Deaf Studies: Cultural Studies, also from Gallaudet University. His Master’s thesis focused on developing criteria for a better quality of ABC storytelling.

Ben taught Deaf Studies at the Utah Valley University for ten wonderful years, where he helped develop and strengthen the curriculum for their Deaf Studies program. In 2019, he got a job teaching ASL and Deaf Studies at the University of South Florida. After four years at USF, Ben and his family relocated to the wonderful community in Rochester, New York, where he is a Senior Lecturer at the Deaf Cultural Studies program in the department of Liberal Arts at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf/Rochester Institute of Technology. In addition to teaching, he has also traveled all over the country giving ASL performances and workshops covering a wide range of topics in the ASL and Deaf Studies field. Ben is best known for his hilarious stories about his encounters with jellyfish.

As much as Ben loves storytelling and Deaf Studies, his greatest loves are his family. Some of his favorite things to do is spend time with his wife, Kat and their three children, Boone, Cypress, and Wilder. They’ve been giving him plenty of new comedic material for his storytelling – none involving jellyfish, much to Ben’s relief. He also enjoys puzzles, geocaching, and gaming in his spare time.