James Halischak

Title: ASL Instructor
Department: Speech-Lang Path & Audiology
Phone: 234-525-6182
Email: jhalischak@uakron.edu

Biography

A native ASL signer, originally from Columbus with Deaf parents and Deaf siblings, James Halischak was born and raised in Ohio.  He went to the Ohio School for the Deaf and graduated from Kent State University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language Teaching.  After graduation, he received his Masters in Deaf Education at Kent State University in 2005. 

After graduation, he taught science in a middle school at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind from 2005 to 2006.  In 2006, he got a new position as an assistant professor in American Sign Language and Deaf Culture at Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa.

He joined the University of Akron in 2012 and has taught American Sign Language. 

Professional Experience

• Five years as an Associate Professor at Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa
• One year as a science teacher at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind
• Member of American Sign Language Teachers Association
• Previous experience in teaching American Sign Language and Deaf Culture as well as supervising internship interpreting students

Personal Interests

• Indoor and outdoor activities
• Travel