Kent Turner, M.A.

Workshop title: Deafverse: How A Game Teaches Deaf Teens to Level Up in Life

Summary: Join Kent Turner, a deaf game designer with the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC), to learn about Deafverse, an online choose-your-own-adventure video game. Deafverse challenges players to navigate tough decisions and respond to situations they may encounter in school, the workplace, and other problem-solving scenarios familiar to deaf people. Participants will be able to collaborate on integrating Deafverse at home and into the classroom as a supplement to existing transition practices and curricula.

Bio:

Kent Turner is a game designer at the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC). Gamification, the process of adding game-design elements to school curriculums, is his passion. He wrote his thesis on this approach at the University of California, San Diego, where he received his M.A. in Bilingual Education. As a former teacher for the deaf, Kent utilizes years of experience in classroom instruction, curriculum design, and game design to develop gamified resources for deaf youth. Among these resources is Deafverse, an educational choose-your-own-adventure game that allows players to navigate life as a deaf person.