Susan Outlaw is the executive director of the Metro Deaf School. 1125 Energy Park Drive, a post she has held since 2015.
Outlaw, who has been employed in the field of deaf education since 2003, earned her doctoral degree in bilingual (ASL/English) education for deaf students, with a minor in curriculum, from Gallaudet University.
Throughout Outlaw’s education she was exposed to deaf children and befriended many of them, learning to sign at a young age. This contact sparked her early interest in deaf education, she explained.
Because there were many deaf students at her high school in Tallahassee, formal sign language classes were offered. She took advantage of these classes and passed the interpreter certification test during her senior year.
Outlaw previously worked at MDS as a curriculum and bilingual coordinator prior to moving to New York State to join the Rochester Institute of Technology as a tenure-track faculty member. While at RIT, she worked in the graduate program helping prepare students who wanted to teach deaf children.
Although she never expected to return to MDS as executive director, Outlaw relishes her role. She sees herself as a servant leader who pitches in as needed to get things done. She also team teaches and fills in as a substitute, since she misses being in the classroom.
“I miss working one-on-one with kids,” she said. “I love what we have become and what we do,” she added.
MDS, a tuition-free charter school, has an enrollment of about 180. Students must be deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind to attend the school. The school has more than 100 staff members including teachers, paraprofessionals, specialists and office personnel.
The school is different from other charter schools in that a majority of its students are placed by their individual home districts, rather than by parents, Outlaw explained.
Being deaf need not be a negative experience despite the fact that deaf students learn in a different way, she said. “The school empowers students to make decisions and be good citizens.”
Besides providing a quality education, Outlaw wants to ensure that MDS’s students have friends and access to the close-knit deaf community. The child’s journey is also the family’s journey, especially since a very small percentage of deaf children have a parent who is also deaf, she added.
There is a waiting list for several of the programs at MDS, including the transition program, which is open to young adults between the ages of 18 and 22.
Prior to moving to its current location six years ago, MDS has had three prior locations.
Because of MDS’s plain exterior, the school looks like any other regular educational institutional facility on the inside.
“This is our forever home,” Outlaw said.
When asked about the challenges facing deaf education, Outlaw cited “the politics around special education funding and trying to figure out how to best serve students in the most cost-effective manner.”
Another major challenge facing the school is a shortage of qualified teachers. The University of Minnesota offers the only deaf education program in the state, yet it is only graduating about 15 licensed teachers per year. Nationwide searches are required to fill open teaching slots at the school, she said.
Last year, Outlaw traveled to Finland as a Fulbright award recipient, visiting both Helsinki and Turku during the two-week program. She studied administration and teaching methods related to general and special education. Her specific areas of interest included refugee education (since these students are well represented at MDS) and bridging educational gaps for deaf students.
“It was fascinating and I loved the experience,” she said.
A Como Park resident, Outlaw enjoys spending time in Como Regional Park, reading and travelling. Her daughter (a high school senior) and stepson (an eighth grader) also keep her busy.
Outlaw said she is continually inspired by the students at MDS.
“Every different type of kid has a journey and a story, and that is what keeps me motivated,” she said.
Janet Wight is a regular freelance writer for the Bugle.
