Professor Connie Mayer recognized for work in deaf and hard-of-hearing education

Professor Connie Mayer was awarded the Sister Mary Delaney Lifetime Achievement Award at the 42nd annual conference of the American College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACE-DHH) in New York last month.

Connie Mayer
Connie Mayer

The award was established to honor the distinguished career of an ACE-DHH member in teaching, research and service in the preparation of teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The nominee currently must be a faculty member in a program for preparing educators of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and must have been an active professional for a minimum of 20 years.

Mayer has been a classroom teacher and resource leader for more than 20 years and has taught at the university level for more than 15 years. In addition to teaching core courses in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at York University, Mayer supervises practicum courses and teaches graduate and pre-service education students.

She played a major role in the development of an innovative online, part-time teacher education program in the Deaf Education program that significantly increased overall enrollment by both national and international students, and has earned recognition across the University.

connie mayer award
Connie Mayer receiving the award

Throughout her accomplished academic career, Mayer has published a book, 13 book chapters, 27 refereed journal articles, three conference proceedings, four research reports, and has offered more than 60 refereed conference presentations. She has authored two articles that are consistently listed in the 50 most frequently cited articles in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.

Mayer has served in leadership roles in professional organizations in the field, including as chair and program chair for the American Educational research Association’s “Research on the Education of Deaf Persons” Special Interest Group. She currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, Volta Review, American Annals of the Deaf, and Reading Research Quarterly.

Those who nominated Mayer for the award said she exemplifies the attributes of Sister Mary Delaney and merits the recognition of her colleagues in the field of deaf education. The nomination continued by saying Mayer is a deserving winner of this award, and offered congratulations on her successful career.