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Complement your Degree with a minor in American Sign Language

Founded in 1975, The Sign Language Studies (SLS) department at Madonna University offers students an opportunity to develop American Sign Language (ASL) skills while providing an understanding of the language and its community. Through extensive training and practice over four years, students will develop the interpreting skills needed to become a professional sign language interpreter.

Degrees Offered

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Student Success

Lindsey Wiegand

Lindsey Wiegand

Lindsey Wiegand ’07 was accepted into graduate school at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. after earning a degree in Sign Language Interpreting Studies from Madonna University. After graduating with her Masters of Arts in Interpreting from Gallaudet, Lindsey moved back to Michigan where she has been working as a freelance American Sign Language/English interpreter.

As a nationally certified interpreter, some of the types of interpreting settings where Lindsey works include post-secondary, K-12 education, and medical. In addition to freelance interpreting, Lindsey also presents professional development workshops and mentors novice interpreters.

Regarding her time at Madonna, Lindsey commented, “The faculty definitely made the experience special for me. They taught me so much and I am fortunate enough to have stayed in contact with them as professional peers!” She added that she feels blessed to be able to have the job that she does and is “…humbled every day that the Deaf community allows me to be a part of the most intimate moments of their lives…I love learning from the community in every interaction I have with them.”

Full-time Faculty and Staff

Daniel McDougall,

PhD, CSC

Chair and Associate Professor

B.A., Madonna University

M.A., Oakland University

Ph.D., Heriot-Watt University

dmcdougall@madonna.edu

734-432-5618, 1405

Daniel McDougall,

PhD, CSC

Dan McDougall, CSC, is the chair of the Sign Language Studies department. He joined the full time faculty of Madonna University in 2007. He has been a certified interpreter since 1986, specializing in shadowed interpreting for the theatre.

Dan founded TerpTheatre, and is an internationally recognized authority on interpreted theatre (see www.terptheatre.com). He has an extensive background in nonprofit program development and fundraising. He is an alumnus of the SLS department (1986), and holds an MA in Linguistics from Oakland University (1991).

The SLS department awarded him Distinguished Alumnus in 2005. He teaches in the areas of interpretation, advanced American Sign Language, and linguistics.

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Jennifer Berrigan Assistant Professor

B.S., Gallaudet University

M.A., Gallaudet University

jberrigan@madonna.edu

VP: 734.666.3071, 1405

Jennifer Berrigan 

 Jennifer Berrigan is an Assistant Professor in the Sign Language Studies department. A Michigan School for the Deaf alumni, Jennifer attended Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. In 2005, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She continued for her master’s degree in Sign Language Education at Gallaudet University and graduated in 2017.

Amongst her education, she worked as an intern at Tufts University and James Madison University. She also has worked as the SLPI Coordinator for the MI Department of Education LIO. In 2015, Berrigan competed as a snowboarder at the Winter Deaflympics. Berrigan is no stranger to teaching higher education, working most recently as an ASL instructor in Arizona and Michigan.

Berrigan’s goal is to promote better communication access to foster a stronger educational based future for Deaf children.

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Bretagne WhitfordAssistant Professor

B.S., Rochester Institute of Technology

M.S., Rochester Institute of Technology

bwhitford@madonna.edu

VP: 734.237.3058, 1405

Bretagne Whitford

Bretagne Whitford is an Assistant Professor in the Sign Language Studies department. Bretagne went to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. In 2009, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration and Public Policy. She continued on for her master’s degree in Deaf Education, acquired in 2011.

Amongst her education, she worked in a research lab and acquired her research interest in deaf children and the familial characteristics that would have an impact on their literacy. She also takes a fascination with ASL assessments and how to accurately document an individual’s ASL proficiency. She had a paper published in 2011 titled Deaf Individuals’ Bilingual Abilities: American Sign Language Proficiency, Reading Skills, and Family Characteristics in Psychology Journal (Vol. 2, No 1, 18-32).

She takes pride teaching sign language particularly, keen to the fact that she is their Deaf role model and provides the students with the appropriate mental and language framework as they enter the Deaf community.

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Katie FitzpatrickAssistant Professor and Interpreter

NIC Advanced, BEI III

B.S., Ferris State University

M.A., Gallaudet University

kfitzpatrick@madonna.edu

734-432-5617, 1405

Katie Fitzpatrick

Katie Fitzpatrick, MA, NIC-A, BEI III, is the newly christened embedded interpreter within the SLS Department, and an Assistant Professor for the interpreting courses in the program. Katie has been wtih the program for years as an adjunct and recently expanded the role into full time status here at Madonna.

Katie has founded ASLVillage.com and is an accomplished teacher, presenter, mentor, and guide - focusing on helping students and interpreters develop their linguistic skills and prepare for certification with a focus on growth and grace.

Earning a M.A. in Linguistics from Gallaudet has greatly influenced their understadning of the technical considerations of language, but 16 years of professional experience as a natinoally certified interpreter has helped them recognize the realistic applications of everyday language use as well.

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Photo of Zachary Cebulski

Zachary CebulskiCoordinator

B.A., Madonna University

A.A., Schoolcraft College

zrcebulski@madonna.edu

734-432-5616, 1405

Zachary Cebulski

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Adjunct Faculty

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Cheryl A. AirgoodSLS Instructor

B.A., Madonna University

M.A., Eastern Michigan

University

M.A., Wayne State 

cairgood@madonna.edu

Cheryl A. Airgood

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Fr. Michael DepcikSLS Instructor

B.A., Gallaudet University

M.A., Gallaudet University

M.Div., Ss. Cyril and Methodius Seminary

mdepcik@madonna.edu

Fr. Michael Depcik

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Mary Ann DeVos, BEI ISLS Instructor

B.S., Eastern Michigan

M.Ed., Lewis and Clark College

mdevos@madonna.edu

Mary Ann DeVos, BEI I

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Katie Fitzpatrick, NIC-ASLS Instructor

B.S., Ferris State University

A.A.S., Oakland Community College

M.A., Gallaudet University

kfitzpatrick@madonna.edu

Katie Fitzpatrick, NIC-A

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Barbara Hinson, CSCSLS Instructor

B.A., University of North Florida

bhinson@madonna.edu

Barbara Hinson, CSC

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Miriam Horwitz, NICSLS Instructor

B.A., American University

M.A.I., Gallaudet Univeristy

mhorwitz@madonna.edu

Miriam Horwitz, NIC

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Michael Meldrum, NICSLS Instructor

B.S., Eastern Michigan University

M.A., Gallaudet University

mmeldrum@madonna.edu

Michael Meldrum, NIC

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Sharon MeldrumSLS Instructor

B.A., Gallaudet University

M.A., Eastern Michigan University

smeldrum@madonna.edu

Sharon Meldrum

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Bridget Mangiardi, BEI IISLS Instructor

B.A., Madonna University

M.A. TESOL, Madonna University

brmitchell@madonna.edu

Bridget Mangiardi, BEI II

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Leslie PertzSLS Instructor

B.A., Central Michigan University

A.S., Oakland Community College

lpertz@madonna.edu

Leslie Pertz

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