Ndurumo, Michael

Deafened from meningitis at age 8; attended primary schools, but Kenyan high schools would not accept him because of his deafness. After intervention by an American missionary couple at age 17, he completed one year of high school in Nyeri before the couple returned to the U.S., taking him with them and enrolling him in King's Academy near Knoxville, TN. Graduated in 1973 and earned bachelor's (1977), master's (1979), and doctoral (1980) degrees at Peabody College. Returned to Kenya to teach the deaf, convincing the government to allow the use of sign language where the schools had previously been all strictly oral. Fostered the development of Kenyan Sign Language and established the first Kenyan church for the deaf and the first Kenyan national deaf association; received the Distinguished Service Medal from the Kenyan president in 2000 in recognition of his work. Also served as the Dr. Andrew Foster Visiting Professor at Gallaudet University. Pushed not only for the establishment of more schools for the deaf in Kenya, but also for the establishment of a university for the deaf in Kenya.