Gallaudet University
Regional Centers
West Region 
Midwest Region 
East Region 
South Region Who We Serve
Gallaudet University Regional Center (GURC) personnel serve as liaisons between Gallaudet University, the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, and deaf and hard of hearing individuals across the country. We work to connect people with resources, events, and service providers in their area.
Todd Higgins, MPA, is the director of the GURC-East, located at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, Massachusetts. In this role, Higgins promotes Gallaudet’s undergraduate and graduate programs; as well as the resources and expertise of the Clerc Center throughout the 13-state region, from Maine to West Virginia, including Washington, D.C.
Through training, workshops, conferences, technical assistance, and consultation, Higgins works to expand educational opportunities and support for deaf and hard of hearing individuals across the lifespan. He also oversees several key initiatives, including the Massachusetts Family Sign Language Program, Rhode Island Sign Language Initiatives, and the Shared Reading Saturday program.
With a professional background in disability services within higher education and advocacy in the nonprofit sector, Higgins has dedicated his career to advancing accessibility for Deaf and hard of hearing communities. He has also served as a consultant on access-related issues.
Higgins earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a master’s degree in public administration from San Francisco State University.
Originally from Tehran, Iran, Dr. Ardavan Guity comes from a Deaf family and received his primary, secondary, and tertiary education in Deaf schools. From a young age, he was driven by a passion to raise awareness among Iranian Deaf youth about the richness of their sign language and culture.
His research focuses on various aspects of Iranian Sign Language (Esharani), including the development of an Esharani corpus, appropriate interpretation practices, lexical variation, word order, and the ethics of collaborating with signing communities.
Dr. Guity has co-authored several publications. In spring 2020, he co-authored The Deaf Book in Farsi with Sara Siyavoshi. In fall 2021, he collaborated with a team to publish An Introduction to Iranian Sign Language (Esharani). In November 2022, he co-authored Let’s Learn Esharani with Farzaneh Soleimanbeigi and Sara Siyavoshi.
He remains actively involved in supporting Deaf communities both in Iran and worldwide, delivering presentations, workshops, and training on Esharani and related topics to diverse audiences in the United States, Iran, and internationally, both online and in person. Dr. Guity is also a Deaf interpreter, translator (Esharani, ASL, Farsi, and English), and Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) for theater.
From 2017 to 2023, he served as an adjunct instructor at Gallaudet University, teaching courses in Deaf Studies and linguistics. Currently, Dr. Guity serves as the Director of Deaf Studies at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. He has also been an adjunct professor at Fereshtegaan University in Iran since 2021.
Brian Cheslik, EdD, is the director of GURC-Midwest, a graduate of John A. Logan College located in Carterville, Ill. He is also a professor of American Sign Language and Interpretation for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in addition to being a Certified Deaf Interpreter specializing in music and theatre. Previously, Cheslik was a K-12 teacher at both the Louisiana School for the Deaf and the Texas School for the Deaf. He has been published in American Theatre Magazine, the Journal of Sexuality & Culture, TEACH Magazine, the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, and soon the Oxford Encyclopedia of Disability Studies. He is currently co-writing Advancing Accessibility with Deaf Theatre, to be published by Bloomsbury Press in 2026.
Cheslik is the founding artistic director of Deaf Austin Theatre, where he has directed productions of Next to Normal (2019), The Last Five Years (2022), Cinderella (2023), and Tiny Beautiful Things (2024). He also serves the theater profession by educating theaters on accessibility needs for Deaf performers and audiences as well as training performance interpreters. He has won several B. Iden Payne Awards for his productions and was the 2023 recipient of the Steven Fay Award for Community Service for his work in the Austin theater community.
Cheslik earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Gallaudet University. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees in deaf studies and deaf education from Lamar University.
Pam Snedigar, MPA, has been the director of GURC–West, located at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, since 1999. She provides systems analysis related to deaf education, including design, implementation, and support of specialized projects serving regional needs. Previously, she was a paralegal at the California Center for Law and the Deaf (CalCLAD) for 10 years. In that capacity, she provided direct services, legislative review, advocacy training, and community education.
Snedigar earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration, a paralegal certificate, and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University Hayward. She has further studies in community college administration from Alliant International University. Her interests and current position have led her to develop many training and continuing education opportunities for professionals and families, as well as workshops for deaf and hard of hearing students. Along with providing opportunities for interpreter language development in math and sciences, she has developed training on cultural issues for deaf and hearing interpreters who have deaf parents, leadership (with an emphasis on women of color), advocacy, and ethics. Workshops for students include financial literacy for K-12 students, and college/career readiness.
Snedigar’s personal motto is in memory of her deaf parents: “Everyone deserves the opportunity to develop language, and by using language we develop an educated populace.”
We Are Connectors
Our GURC team has deep connections to experts and practicing professionals across the following domains:
We provide deaf education providers with best-in-class deaf education videos, research, and training.
VR is a state-run federal program that can provide financial and other support to help individuals with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, get the training and education they need to secure employment. GURC staff and VR counselors often work together to help students apply to Gallaudet and access support services, including through virtual appointments with a VR specialist.
We provide EI providers with best-in-class deaf education videos, research, and training.
We provide continuing education and training courses on language access and ensuring equal opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing babies.
