Kelsey Spurgin
Assistant Professor of Deaf Education
About Kelsey Spurgin
Kelsey Spurgin is an assistant professor and the Deaf Education Program Manager in the Department of Special Education. She is passionate about supporting pre-service teachers in their journey to becoming educators so that they can empower deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students to reach their greatest potential. Dr. Spurgin’s course design and instruction focuses on equitable learning for DHH students with varied language histories and applications of interdisciplinary collaboration. Her research interests center on culturally responsive literacy instruction that targets language, writing, and reading growth.
Professional Experience
Dr. Spurgin’s instruction is informed by eight years of teaching experience in general education and deaf education settings. She taught English Language Arts and reading with DHH students in self-contained primary and secondary classrooms, as well as mainstreamed settings where she was a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as a certified interpreter.
Education
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B.S. Art Education, Northern Illinois University
- M.S. Deaf Education, University of Tennessee
- Ph.D. Deaf Education, University of Tennessee
Select Publications and Research
Spurgin, K. & Kennedy, M. (2025, January). Exploring high impact practices in teacher preparation: Empowering future educators to foster language-rich environments for DHH students [Conference presentation]. Association of College Educators: Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Washington DC, United States.
Wainscott, S., & Spurgin, K. (2024). Differentiating language for students who are deaf or hard of hearing: A practice-informed framework for auditory and visual supports. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 55(2), 473-494.
Wolbers, K., Dostal, H., Holcomb, L., & Spurgin, K. (2024). Developing expressive language skills of deaf students through specialized writing instruction. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 29(3), 350-361.
Wolbers, K., Dostal, H., Holcomb, L., & Spurgin, K. (2024). Writing instruction with grade-level/ college-bound secondary deaf students. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 29(2), 145-157.
Spurgin, K. (2023, June). Supporting bilingual emergent readers, Professional development presentation for teachers of the deaf at Central Deaf Services Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, online.
Spurgin, K. (2023, February). Language and literacy at home. Invited Keynote speaker for the Parents Advocating, Understanding and Supporting Each Other (PAUSE) Retreat, Houston, TX.
Spurgin, K. (2023, June). Equitable instruction with secondary deaf and hard of hearing emergent bilingual readers
[Conference presentation]. National Deaf Education Conference, Riverside, CA, United States.