Harlan Lane

Harlan Lane
Born
Harlan Lawson Lane

(1936-08-19)August 19, 1936
New York City, U.S.
DiedJuly 13, 2019(2019-07-13) (aged 82)
Roquefort-les-Pins, Alpes-Maritimes, France
OccupationPsychologist

Harlan Lawson Lane (August 19, 1936 – July 13, 2019)[1] was an American psychologist. Lane was the Matthews Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, and founder of the Center for Research in Hearing, Speech, and Language [citation needed]. His research was focused on speech, Deaf culture, and sign language.

Lane was born in Brooklyn, New York.[2] Remaining in New York City for college, he obtained both a B.S. and an M.S. in psychology from Columbia University in 1958. He subsequently received a PhD in psychology from Harvard (1960) and a Doc. des Lettres from the Sorbonne (1973).[3] In 1991, Lane received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.[4][3]

Lane, a hearing man, became an often controversial spokesman for the Deaf community and critic of cochlear implants. He wrote extensively on the social construction of disability and stated that "Unless Deaf people challenge the culturally determined meanings of deaf and disability with at least as much vigor as the technologies of normalization seek to institutionalize those meanings, the day will continue to recede in which Deaf children and adults live the fullest lives and make the fullest contribution to our diverse society."[5] In recognition of his research and advocacy regarding these issues, Lane received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of the Deaf (United States), the International Social Merit Award from the World Federation of the Deaf, and numerous other awards.[4][6]

He was Commandeur de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, the highest level of the academic honor given out by the French government.[citation needed]

Lane died in France from Parkinson's disease on July 13, 2019, at the age of 82.[7]

  1. ^ "Harlan Lane Dies at 82 | The Deaf Report". thedeafreport.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. ^ Lane, Harlan, Ben Bahan, and Bob Hoffmeister. 1996. A Journey into the Deaf-World. San Diego, C.A.: DawnSignPress, 1996. ISBN 0915035634.
  3. ^ a b "Harlan Lane, Psychologist and Linguist". MacArthur Fellows Program. MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Lane, Harlan. Northeastern University, July 1, 2010. Web. April 5, 2011.
  5. ^ Lane, Harlan. 2008. "Do Deaf People Have A Disability?". Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking. H-Dirksen L. Bauman (ed.). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0816646197.
  6. ^ "Harlan Lane Receives George Veditz Award". Northeastern University, College of Science. July 13, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Sandomir, Richard (July 28, 2019). "Harlan Lane, Vigorous Advocate for Deaf Culture, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved July 29, 2019.