About Dr. Cooper

Sheryl B. Cooper is currently an American Sign Language interpreter and consultant in private practice.  She works through several local and national agencies and can be hired directly as long as there is no conflict of interest with any agencies.

Dr. Cooper was a professor at Towson University from 1988 until her retirement in 2018.  She established the Deaf Studies Program in 2000 and served as its director until she retired, overseeing a variety of co-curricular activities in addition to the academic program.  

Dr. Cooper earned her Ph.D. from Gallaudet University in Special Education Administration, her Master’s degree from New York University in Deafness Rehabilitation Counseling, and her Bachelor’s degree in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania.  She was a placement counselor in the Career Center at Gallaudet University from 1985 to 1988, a rehabilitation counselor for Deaf people in Maryland from 1980 to 1985, and a faculty member in the Interpreter Preparation Program at the Community College of Baltimore County – Catonsville from 1982 to 2002.

Since 1980 she has been a certified interpreter through the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).  She has interpreted for a wide variety of events, having shared the stage with U.S. presidents, state governors, national religious leaders, and international entertainment personalities.  Locally, she enjoys interpreting in legal settings, mental health settings, medical settings, Jewish settings, and working with individuals who are Deafblind.

As a consultant to corporations, schools, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies, Dr. Cooper has trained groups, provided referral services, and coordinated events on issues relating to hiring, employment, and provision of reasonable accommodation and services to individuals with disabilities. She has provided diagnostic evaluations and in-service training for American Sign Language interpreters and on-site American Sign Language training designed to meet the specific needs of organizations and clients.

Dr. Cooper currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Maryland School for the Deaf and on Boards of several other professional associations.  She is a past president of the Metropolitan Washington Association of the American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA), and a past Board Member of the Potomac Chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Current active professional memberships include the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and the Potomac Chapter of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Dr. Cooper is the founder and past president of Advocates for Communication Technology for Deafblind People, Inc., a nonprofit organization that raised money to purchase technology to enhance the quality of life for Deafblind individuals. She is a supporting member of the National Association of the Deaf, the Maryland Association of the Deaf, the American Association of the Deafblind, and the Metro Washington Association of the Deafblind. The American Association of the Deafblind voted her 1994 ‘Volunteer of the Year.’