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📷 by Razi Zarchy

About me

My name is Leah Geer (Zarchy).  My English pronouns are she/her/hers, my Spanish pronoun is ella, and in ASL, pronouns are ungendered, so for personal pronouns use this 👉handshape, and for possessive pronouns, use this ✋handshape. I am an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at California State University, Sacramento. I received a PhD in linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and identify as Latina. After high school, I attended New Mexico State University where I majored in Kinesiology. After becoming increasingly interested in motor learning and development, I attended Gallaudet University for a Master's degree in Linguistics, allowing for a fusion of interests in motor skill acquisition combined with signed language acquisition. Inspired by the early intervention focused curriculum I co-authored in 2020 (see below), I decided to go back to school to pursue a new specialty in supporting deaf and hard of hearing infants, toddlers, and their families. I earned a Graduate Certificate from Gallaudet University in June 2023, and an MA in Early Intervention Studies in December 2024.

In July 2020, I co-authored a routine-based ASL curriculum designed for families with young deaf children called ASL at Home along with supplemental curriculum materials available at our webstore. Our second edition was released in June 2023 made possible by the generous support of our Kickstarter backers. Purchase information is available on our website! In addition to the core curriculum book, we offer virtual classes, professional development training for organizations using ASL at Home, and consultative services. We look forward to working with you!

In case you're wondering, "What's with the two last names?" Here's a brief explanation.

For publications and presentations I go by "Geer" because that's the name I'd already published under before I got married. At Sacramento State, I went by "Zarchy" from the time I got married until my husband completed his doctoral degree, at which point he became "Dr. Zarchy" also. To prevent confusion, I've now gone back to "Geer." There are still some students and colleagues who know me as "Zarchy." So, if you want to find my presentations or publications, search under "Geer." If you hear about a class taught by "Dr. Zarchy," there's a good chance that's me, but it's best to double check! Going forward, students should look for courses I'm teaching under "Geer." 

Honors & Awards

AY 2024-2025 -- Outstanding Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching

Summer 2024 -- Federal Award No: 1R01DC021188-01A1 to Dr. Jena McDaniel (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)

Project title: American Sign Language and Spoken English Development of Young Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Subaward No: VUMC124812

Spring 2023, 2024 -- Peer Academic Resource Center Outstanding Wisdom and Leadership (OWL) Award

Fall 2023 -- Research Enhanced Support Grant: Project title Promoting Rich Accessible Language At Home: An ASL Class for Families of Deaf Children (Grant period: Fall 2024)

Summer 2022 -- Early Career Award for Teaching Hearing Parents ASL to Enrich Language at Home at ICSLA 4 (International Conference on Sign Language Acquisition)

Spring 2022 -- Women of Influence Award In Recognition Of Outstanding Contributions To The Quality Of Life For Students At California State University, Sacramento


CV

See my CV here!

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Contact

Email

leah [dot] geer [at] csus [dot] edu

Student hours: Spring 2025