Rafa Domingo went from seeing limited career prospects for Deaf college graduates to earning a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Gallaudet University, becoming the first Filipino scholar of the World Deaf Leadership program to earn a doctorate.
Domingo recalled that he once pictured working as a janitor or computer operator because those were among the jobs he had seen Deaf graduates pursue. Those examples shaped his view of what was attainable until education introduced opportunities he had not previously considered.
Domingo earned a Certificate in Bookkeeping from Benilde in 1996 and a Bachelor in Applied Deaf Studies in 2010. In 2012, Domingo completed a Master of Arts in International Affairs at American University through a Nippon Foundation fellowship.
Domingo’s next academic goal took three attempts. He applied unsuccessfully twice for the World Deaf Leadership Scholarship at Gallaudet University before being selected in 2017 for the five-year doctoral program.
The scholarship made the studies possible, but academic obstacles remained. Domingo struggled with academic American Sign Language and specialized linguistic terminology before receiving assistance from peer tutors, classmates, professors and mentors.
Domingo completed the doctorate in 2022. Gallaudet’s Office of International Affairs also recognized him as the first doctorate recipient under the Nippon-Gallaudet World Deaf Leadership Program and the second Filipino selected for its scholarship.
The doctorate built on advocacy and research work Domingo had pursued before attending Gallaudet. He co-founded the Philippine Federation of the Deaf, became its youngest president at 21 and held positions involving education, human rights, advocacy and Filipino Sign Language research.
Domingo now heads the Deaf Heritage and Filipino Sign Language Studies Unit at Benilde’s Center for Education Advancement of the Deaf. His team trains Deaf researchers, develops technical signs, expands Filipino Sign Language resources and creates educational materials for Deaf students across the country.
