WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Sep 30, 2016) - Last night, Gallaudet University honored Ronald C. Burdett for his many contributions to the Deaf community by naming a campus room after the alumnus -- the "Ron Burdett, '70, Seminar Room." Academic leaders, colleagues and community members were on hand to congratulate Burdett, a prominent member of the Deaf community and Sorenson Communications, LLC vice president of community relations.
Gallaudet President Roberta J. Cordano said, "Ron is an inspiration to us all. With this dedication, we honor his many accomplishments as an educator and administrator, including his years as a senior leader responsible for outreach with Sorenson. Ron embodies advocacy, equality, and inclusion and is and has long been a role model for our emerging deaf and hard of hearing leaders."
Sorenson Communications, LLC Chief Executive Officer Scott Sorensen noted, "Ron's contributions to the Deaf community are expansive -- in his academic career, in his advocacy for functional equivalence in communication technologies and in the charitable work he has performed in each community in which he has lived. We are so proud of him. He has made all the difference at Sorenson, and we are honored to have him as a friend and colleague."
Over the past decade, Burdett built and maintained positive relationships with key organizations within the Deaf community, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government and Deaf agencies to ensure that Sorenson Video Relay Services® (SVRS®) met the necessary FCC mandates to benefit the Deaf community. Burdett attended more than 350 community gatherings in more than 150 cities -- some in rural towns, some in populated areas. He shared important information about new communication technologies and services at Deaf-sponsored expos, schools, town halls and in peoples' homes.
Burdett graduated from Gallaudet with a degree in computer studies and a minor in business administration. He later earned a master's degree in special education and rehabilitation from California State University, Northridge. After graduating from Gallaudet, Burdett worked for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Stanford University and Ohlone College, in Fremont, Calif. At Ohlone, he was dean of deaf studies and special services. Burdett served as president of the California Association Post-Education of the Disabled, which oversaw 107 community colleges, eight California state universities and three universities of California.
After retiring from Ohlone in May 2004, Burdett moved to St. George, Utah, where he became director of the Southern Utah Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Program under the state Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.
In 2006, Burdett joined Sorenson Communications, LLC. "I have many stories about how being able to communicate in our own native language -- American Sign Language, has made our lives better. I have loved it. I am so lucky!" he says.
About Sorenson Communications, LLC
Sorenson Communications, LLC® (www.sorenson.com) is a provider of industry-leading communications products and services for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. The company's offerings include Sorenson Video Relay Service® (SVRS®), the highest-quality video interpreting service; the Sorenson ntouch® VP videophone, designed especially for use by Deaf individuals; ntouch® PC, software that connects users to SVRS by using a PC and webcam; ntouch® for Mac®, software that connects users to SVRS by using an Apple® computer; ntouch® Tablet, which turns the Apple iPad® with a front-facing camera into a larger-screen mobile VP; and ntouch® Mobile, an application empowering SVRS communication via mobile devices.
About Gallaudet University
Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.