Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Heath Goodall was born in Seattle, Washington. During a necessary surgery at just a few days old, the antibiotic Gentamicin was administered to prevent infection, causing Heath to become deaf. During Heath’s formative years, he was exposed first to Signed Exact English (SEE), then to Pidgin Signed English (PSE), and finally, his senior year in high school, he was introduced to American Sign Language (ASL). Heath has stated, “Once ASL touched my eyes, I knew that this was the language for me for the rest of my life!” He received degrees from the University of New Mexico and Western Oregon University. He is a member of the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA). Heath is a master storyteller, performer, actor, and ASL poet. Heath taught interpreting courses at Portland Community College in Oregon for four years.   Moreover, Heath’s passion for the arts shines through in everything he does, including in the classroom, where he makes learning ASL fun. Heath also provides numerous workshops on various topics.