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 K–12 teaching experience in general education and deaf education settings. Prior to arriving at Ball State, she taught English Language Arts and reading with DHH students in self-contained primary and secondary classrooms and in inclusion settings, where she served as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing. She also held certification as an ASL-English interpreter. Dr. Spurgin provides professional development for teachers of the deaf, families of DHH children, and other community stakeholders. She engages in interdisciplinary collaboration within the Department of Special Education and with community partners to design immersive, community-centered events that create leadership opportunities for pre-service deaf education teachers and meaningful experiences for families with DHH children.
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.
Wolbers, K., Dostal, H., & Spurgin, K. (2025). Variability in Language and Literacy Outcomes Among Deaf Elementary Students in a National Sample. Behavioral Sciences, 15(8), 1100.
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.
Spurgin, K. (2023, June). Supporting bilingual emergent readers, Professional development presentation for teachers of the deaf at Central Deaf Services Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, online.