Each school plays a vital role within the Clerc Center’s mission to serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing children across every stage of learning. KDES provides early education from birth through eighth grade, giving students and families a strong foundation in language, communication, and community. MSSD builds on that foundation, offering high school education to Deaf students from across the country who are ready to continue their academic and personal growth.
Together, KDES and MSSD form a seamless educational pathway within the Clerc Center. From early learning to adolescence, students continue their journey on one shared campus where collaboration, connection, and accessibility guide every experience.
The launch of these new websites marks more than a design update. It represents the next evolution of a connected digital ecosystem. Each site was created to reflect the individuality of its school while maintaining visual and structural consistency across the Clerc Center’s digital presence. Through this approach, families, educators, and visitors can easily move between KDES, MSSD, and the Clerc Center to explore programs, stories, and resources that illustrate our community’s shared purpose. This new structure reinforces how the Clerc Center connects across classrooms, ages, and one unified campus.
Click the image above to explore the Model Secondary School for the Deaf website.
This past year, in my role as Manager of Web and Design, I had the chance to lead creative direction and strategy across both schools. My colleague, Karlis Intsons, carved his path in Public Relations and Communications, and together we built something that connects every part of our community. As an MSSD alumnus, it’s been meaningful to see how powerful collaboration between designers, editors, and educators can be.
Our team also focused on more than visual appeal. We built an approach that prioritizes accessibility, clarity, and usability for every visitor. Each decision was made to better represent and serve the Clerc Center community.
To explore the incredible work happening at MSSD and KDES and see how these schools shape the future of Deaf and Hard of Hearing education, visit their new websites: mssd.gallaudet.edu and kdes.gallaudet.edu. My nieces and nephew are at that age where they’re beginning to seek out the community on our campus, which makes this work feel like an investment in the next generation. I’m proud, once again, to help bring other projects to life and keep building the digital future of the Clerc Center community.
Discover the Bilingual Stories Bookshelf app, designed to support early language acquisition for deaf and hard of hearing children. Featuring a wide selection of bilingual storybooks in American Sign Language (ASL) and English, this interactive app engages young learners through three immersive modes. Explore our resources today and empower children with the language skills they need to thrive!
If you’ve noticed that I’ve been quiet lately, it’s because I’ve been deeply involved in developing the Clerc Center website. Not only was I working on the website, but I also transitioned from my role as a graphic designer to Manager of Website and Design within this timeframe.
Being featured in SHOUTOUT LA is not just an opportunity for exposure, but also a chance to reach a broader audience and share my unique style and artistic evolution, especially in portraying Asian male models in fashion, with the world.
Several years ago, a revolutionary app Parent Advocacy made its debut, transforming how we approach school meetings and their preparations. This year, I was excited to develop a simpler, easier, and yet fun addition of interactive design into the new Parent Advocacy site!
Today marks a significant milestone in my professional journey – five years of working alongside Zhou Fang at the Clerc Center. As I sit down to reflect on this journey, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the invaluable mentorship and guidance that Zhou Fang has provided me with throughout these years.
I’m thrilled to share a project I’ve been working on with LanguageFirst and Clerc Center/REAL. Together, we’ve curated a comprehensive list of immersion programs tailored for families looking to learn sign language and foster connections with their deaf and hard of hearing children.
