Ben Bahan

Benjamin James Bahan, known as Ben Bahan, is a professor of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University and a member of the deaf community. Born in New Jersey to deaf parents, he attended the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in West Trenton. He earned a B.A. in biology from Gallaudet University in 1978 and a master's degree and Ph.D. from Boston University in Deaf education and applied linguistics. He is a former chair of the Department of ASL and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet. Bahan is an influential figure in American Sign Language literature as a storyteller and writer on deaf culture, known for stories such as The Ball Story and Birds of a Different Feather. He co-authored A Journey into the Deaf-World in 1996 with Robert J. Hoffmeister and Harlan Lane, co-wrote and co-directed the documentary Audism Unveiled in 2008 with Dirksen Bauman, and serves as executive editor of the Deaf Studies Digital Journal.