GPI: Bruce Bucci, Professor of American Sign Language

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST

What is your academic and professional background?

I went to Rhode Island College for my bachelor's degree in social science and teaching license in social studies for middle school and high school students. Then, I went to McDaniel College for my master's degree in deaf education, and then later on, I went to Gallaudet University for my Ed.S. in educational leadership. So that's my education - my journey. I started teaching ASL when I was young, actually - some of my hearing friends wanted to learn. I volunteered at the community center, and I volunteered at the police station to teach ASL. So I had all of those experiences and I'm from a deaf family. Then, I decided to become a teacher. I wanted to teach deaf children, and so I taught social studies to middle school and high school deaf students at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, and also at the Maryland School for the Deaf, and also at the Texas School for the Deaf. So I would say, altogether, I taught for about 12 years. … I was working at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf … and then Boston University hired me to teach American Sign Language, and I was teaching two classes. So I was teaching at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, teaching children, and then teaching ASL at BU twice a week. Then, BU had a full-time position available, and they asked me to apply, and I thought, “You know, it's time. I think the universe is telling me, ‘Go for it.’” So I've learned over time - I'm a builder. I'm not in for the status quo. I have a dream. I have a vision, and I move on it. I want to empower the community to grow and build a strong foundation in the program. … So I did that for about 10 years, and then FSU opened the door, and the major focus was on the two tracks: ASL English Interpreting and Deaf Studies.

How do you believe the ASL program has grown since you started at Framingham State?

The ASL program grows by the professors whose hearts are beating. You know, you can't just hand someone a book and a curriculum and say, “Teach!” You have to have professors who are passionate and who believe in our “smiley ball.” [The smiley ball] teaches our students all the soft skills. There are about 12 soft skills that we've identified, and this little guy - in conjunction with the curriculum, the passion, and the experience of our professors - all three of those things in the same space connect to student-centered learning, and that connects with the community. The ASL Club, the different events, activities, inviting different language models from the Deaf community, and building a strong collaboration between FSU and the community through the Center for Inclusive Excellence and The Center for Student Experience - all of those collaborations really become our programs. Really, the advocacy and the support is from the professors. All of the ASL classes are taught by deaf professors. All of the Deaf Studies courses are taught by deaf professors. So for Deaf Studies and ASL courses, the program coordinator is deaf: me. We also have a co-team in Angela Herbert, who is amazing. She's our newest professor, and she focuses on the interpreting program, and together, we work to serve all of our students as one group. We encourage all of our students to be involved in the ASL Club. We encourage them to get out in the community, volunteer, and learn from what they see in the community. Some of our students work at the Learning Center for the Deaf, some in deaf service agencies, and all of that collaboration brings them back to our safe space here at FSU, where we can have open, honest discussions. They can make mistakes, and it's a safe space.

What do you love about the community at Framingham State?

The Ram! I love that Ram! Familia. Family. Live to the truth. Family plus our smiley ball. We're a small University, but we have empathy and compassion. We always want to make sure that our students feel loved, respected, valued, and diversity is up on the top. At the same time, we face a lot of challenges. … We have a big dream of how to support our faculty and staff, and it's amazing.

What are your hobbies or things you like to do outside of your professional life?

I love spending time with my family, and I love taking my two daughters traveling to national parks. I really want my two daughters to understand the value of Mother Nature. Mother Nature created life for all of us - not their phones. … I think it helps my two daughters really do an analysis of themselves and look at the human nature involved in nature, right? … I also love swimming. Not only in a swimming pool - I'm like a polar bear. I went to Colorado, in the mountains. The water was freezing, but in I went - jumped right in! So I love challenges. That freezing cold water is really good for my mental awareness and acuity. It really helps me build a vision. It gives me energy to hop into that freezing water. It gives me youth. So I love traveling. I love swimming. I love community service. I love advocating for Deaf people's rights. …  I love storytelling as well.

What advice would you give to students about bridging the gap between the hearing and Deaf communities?

This upcoming spring, we have a big event called “Building Bridges, Taking Down Walls.” Our students are builders of bridges, right? They're building understanding in terms of the history of Deaf people, the understanding of social justice - specifically through a Deaf community lens - understanding their role, and what they can do with their degree. If they're ASL English Interpreting majors, what will they do when they graduate? They will be communication facilitators, but it's also critical for them to be sensitive to the culture. Those majoring in Deaf Studies often become teachers, maybe psychologists or social workers, but they have to understand the Deaf community, and they have to understand the value of American Sign Language as a language. They have to understand the Deaf culture, and beyond that - diversity. They have to have an understanding of all of that. They have to be accountable in terms of going to community events. They have to volunteer, oftentimes at different community events. … They have to keep learning, right? They want to keep improving their ASL skills and internalizing all of that. That's their responsibility, and that helps build a bridge so that the Deaf community can cross over. They can walk across that bridge and know that students are building a healthy, strong bridge, and Deaf people walk that bridge, and they can trust us. They'll share their journeys. They'll share their culture with those who have graduated with the right attitudes because they know the values. So building bridges, those bridges go both ways, right? Deaf people crossing and hearing people crossing.

[ Editor’s Note: Bruce Bucci’s interpreter for this interview was Janie Greenwald Czubek. ]