Biography

Paula Thomas is a Certified Teacher of the Deaf for PreK-12 and has been committed to serving Deaf and hard of hearing students for the last ten years. Since elementary school, she aspired to be a teacher but her passion for American Sign Language started in her teenage years when she was exposed to Deaf culture through a church she attended. She immersed herself, picking up sign vocabulary and diving deeper into the culture. At that point, she knew she needed to become a Teacher of the Deaf; she was ready to apply her newfound language to support students and their families. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Deaf Education and History from The College of New Jersey and one year later, earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from her alma mater. Shortly after graduation, she worked in mainstream and inclusion classrooms. Throughout her career, she has consulted and supported the interdisciplinary team to optimize their work with Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. She is excited to work with the World Languages Department at Rowan University as an American Sign Language Adjunct to advance the next generation of professionals. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four beautiful children.​