Michael Ndurumo

Last updated

Michael Ndurumo
BornMichael M. Ndurumo
(1952-04-10) 10 April 1952 (age 72)
Nyeri, Kenya
OccupationEducator
Alma materVanderbilt University

Michael M. Ndurumo (born 10 April 1952) is a deaf educator from Kenya, who was the third deaf person from Africa to obtain a PhD, in 1980. He obtained his BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, in Tennessee. Ndurumo is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

Contents

Background

Ndurumo was born in Kenya and became deaf aged eight, as a result of meningitis. [1] Missionaries supported him to attend high school in the United States of America at Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy in Seymour, Tennessee, in 1971. [1] He then studied at Gallaudet University in 1974 where he started his undergraduate education, then transferred to Vanderbilt University in 1976. [1] After obtaining a PhD in educational administration with related areas in psychology and special education, he was an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Gardner–Webb University, North Carolina, starting August 1980 until he returned to his native country, Kenya, in 1982. [1]

Career

From 1982 to 2003, Ndurumo worked at the Kenya Institute of Education, rising to the rank of deputy director and head of special education. [1] He left Kenya Institute of Education in December 2003 and joined Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya as a senior lecturer. In 2009, Ndurumo moved from Moi University to University of Nairobi, where he is now an associate professor of psychology.

From April 1998 to August 1999 Ndurumo served in the Education of Kenya Review Commission. He was a principal player in the development of special education curricula for both undergraduate and graduate levels for the University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Daystar University and Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE). He also developed the first distance education course in special education for the University of Nairobi. He has written a distance education module on educational psychology for the Kenya Institute of Special Education and has taught sign language and principles of total communication at Daystar University and Maseno University in Kenya.

Ndurumo led in the development of the M.A and PhD degree programs in Counselling Psychology for Moi University where he also launched the implementation of the PhD in educational psychology degree program. He is the author of Exceptional Children: Developmental Consequences and Intervention.

Ndurumo is the editor-in-chief and one of the founders of the African Annals of the Deaf . He is also the founding chair of the Kenya National Association of the Deaf, and the founding secretary of the Kenya Association of the Hard of Hearing. Ndurumo founded the African Institute of Deaf Studies and Research, and was a member of the selection committee for the appointment of members of the National Educational Board. He has been involved in leadership, education, and other matters pertaining to disabled persons in his country. He has also been involved in religious leadership of the deaf, and was a friend of Andrew Foster, one of the foremost missionaries to the deaf in Africa.

Ndurumo was influential in getting American Signed English adopted in Kenyan schools for deaf children; this "was opposed by the deaf community ... [and] remains a sore point for many deaf Kenyans to this day", as it is based on English rather than Kenyan languages. [2]

University for the deaf

Ndurumo has an interest in establishing a university for the deaf in Africa. This vision is now being championed in Kenya by the Kenya Society for Deaf Children.

Honors and awards

Ndurumo is a recipient of numerous honours and awards. In December 2000, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the President of the Republic of Kenya for his distinguished service to the country, [3] and was the Harrison-Chilhowee Baptist Academy Outstanding Alumnus of the Year 2001. Ndurumo was the Andrew Foster visiting professor at Gallaudet University for the year 2000.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallaudet University</span> Private university for those with hearing loss in Washington, D.C.

Gallaudet University is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard of hearing in the world and remains the only higher education institution in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Hearing students are admitted to the graduate school and a small number are also admitted as undergraduates each year. The university was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teachers College, Columbia University</span> Graduate school in New York City, New York, U.S.

Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has served as one of the official Faculties and the Department of Education of Columbia University since 1898. It is the oldest and largest graduate school of education in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development</span> Education school of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1875, Peabody had a long history as an independent institution before merging with Vanderbilt University in 1979. The school is located on the Peabody Campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The academic and administrative buildings surround the Peabody Esplanade and are southeast of Vanderbilt's main campus.

R. Orin Cornett was an American physicist, university professor and administrator, and the inventor of a literacy system for the deaf, known as Cued Speech.

Daystar University is a private Christian liberal arts university in Nairobi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Nairobi</span> Public university in Nairobi, Kenya

The University of Nairobi is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent university until 1970. During that year, the University of East Africa was split into three independent universities: the Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenyatta University</span> University in Nairobi, Kenya

Kenyatta University (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Nairobi. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of October 2014, it was one of 23 public universities in the country.

Education in Kenya refers to the education system in Kenya. It is considered a basic right that should be offered to every individual. Education in Kenya predates to as early as the 18th century among the Swahili people. The earliest school was established by missionaries in Rabai. During the colonial era, the number of Kenyans with exposure to education steadily increased and a good number of them were privileged to proceed abroad for further education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Foster (educator)</span> American pioneer of deaf education (1925–1987)

Andrew Jackson Foster (1925–1987) was an American pioneer of deaf education in several countries in Africa. In 1954, he became the first Deaf African American to earn a bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University, the American university for the Deaf, and the first to earn a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University. He earned a second master's degree from Seattle Pacific Christian College, also in education. He founded Christian Mission for the Deaf African in 1956 and set out for Accra, Ghana, where he established the first school for the deaf in West Africa.

Dr. Robert Davila served as the ninth president of Gallaudet University, the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. His appointment came after the wake of the Unity for Gallaudet Movement protests of 2006, when many students, staff, and alumni objected to the initial choice of Jane Fernandes as the intended next president. It was originally intended that he serve only 18–24 months as an interim president, but the Board dropped the interim designation and then extended his contract to 36 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward C. Merrill Jr.</span>

Edward C. Merrill Jr. was the fourth President of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Under his administration from 1969 to 1983, the College made preparations for the expanded population of deaf students due to the Rubella epidemic in the 1960s. This was called "The Rubella Bulge." Dr. Merrill also oversaw the era of the Stokoe Linguistics Lab, when the use of American Sign Language as a natural human language acquired increasing acceptance in Deaf education. He obtained a bachelor's in English from the University of North Carolina in 1942, a master's in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of Tennessee in 1948, and a Ph.D. Degree in Educational Administration from George Peabody College for Teachers in 1954. He was awarded an honorary LL.D. degree by Gallaudet in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Marie Seroney</span> Kenyan legislator (1927–1982)

Jean-Marie Seroney was a Kenyan human rights advocate, legislator, and an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience. He was detained as a prisoner of conscience for 1,155 days.

Africa International University is a Christian university in Karen, Nairobi, Kenya.

Deaf Education in Kenya is a constantly changing section of the Kenyan education system that is focused on educating deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing-impaired Kenyan students. There are many organizations in Kenya made to protect the rights of Deaf Kenyans and promote progress in deaf education. The state of Kenyan deaf education is constantly changing and improving.

Maasai Mara University (MMU),, is a public university in Kenya.

Carolyn McCaskill is a deaf, African American, counselor and professor. She has been teaching at Gallaudet University since 1996, and currently holds the position of associate professor in the ASL and Deaf Studies Department.

Gideon Saulo Were was a Kenyan professor of history, author, publisher, administrator and entrepreneur. He was born in Marama location of Kakamega, Kenya. His father, Saulo Omukofu, was an educationist and a prominent member of the North Nyanza District Appeal Court.

Sidney Clarence Garrison (1885–1945) was an American educator and psychologist. He served as the second President of Peabody College from 1938 to 1945. He was the (co-)author of several books about education.

Jackie Chirchir, is a marketing & communications expert and designer who serves as the Principal Marketing and Communications Officer at United States International University Africa. She is also an internationally recognized designer of jewelry and furniture.

Professor Laban Ayiro is a Kenyan academic, currently serving as the Vice Chancellor of Daystar University, a Christian, liberal arts university based in Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Some, Kipchumba (25 August 2018). "Deaf man who beat odds to become university professor". Nation. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  2. Jepsen, J.B.; De Clerck, G.; Lutalo-Kiingi, S.; McGregor, W.B. (2015). Sign Languages of the World: A Comparative Handbook. De Gruyter Handbook. De Gruyter. p. 552. ISBN   978-1-5015-0102-9 . Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  3. Berman, N.; Monteleone, R. (2022). Disability and Social Justice in Kenya: Scholars, Policymakers, and Activists in Conversation. University of Michigan Press. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-472-05535-7 . Retrieved 5 April 2024.