With a long list of firsts to claim—first deaf professional hired by the State Board of Education, first deaf individual to earn a doctorate degree from BYU, first deaf coordinator of services for the Adult Deaf in the Department of Public Instruction—Dr. Robert G. Sanderson was honored with yet another first today. Amid 500 white helium balloons, spotlights, and VIPs from around the nation joining in a “we honor” sign language tribute, Utah’s Deaf Center received his name.

The center was renamed to recognize the contributions 84-year-old Sanderson, also known as the Father of Adult Deaf Services, has made for Utah’s deaf and hard of hearing community—now numbering more than 220,000. The center, located in Taylorsville, originally opened its doors in 1992 as the Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (UCCDHH).

“One hundred years ago, deaf people were not even allowed to marry or get a drivers license,” said Marilyn Call, director, Division of Services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. “Tonight’s renaming of this community center after a deaf individual is monumental. It is only because of the perseverance of deaf leaders like Dr. Sanderson lobbying for this center for 46 years, lobbying for the relay system, and interpreters that these services are available today. We need this Center, we need this name and event to inspire gratitude for generations to come.”

The Sanderson Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides activities, communication assistive equipment for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth and adults, and is a venue for gathering, networking and socializing. The center also provides training to counselors, transition specialists, educators, disability resource offices and employers along the Wasatch Front.

An advocate and crusader for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, Sanderson was instrumental in the creation of the Deaf Center through lobbing in the 1980s and served as the Center’s first director when it was housed in a donated church building in Bountiful. Many additional services that are now available for the deaf and hard of hearing stem from Sanderson’s contributions including:

• First coordinator of services to the Adult Deaf in the Department of Public Instruction, 1965. It was in this capacity he earned the title of Father of Adult Deaf Services;
• First hard of hearing professional hired by the State Board of Education, paving the way for future deaf individuals; and
• Successfully lobbied for Relay Utah 7-1-1 voice/text translation service, one of the nation’s first, established in 1988 and now managed by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Sanderson’s educational accomplishments include:

• Graduated from Gallaudet University, the nation’s only higher education deaf institution, with a bachelor’s degree, 1941;
• Earned a master’s degree in educational administration from California State University Northridge, 1965; and
• Was the first deaf individual to receive a doctorate in education from Brigham Young University, 1974.

For more information, please visit www.deafservices.utah.gov

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