Mission & Values
VASLA is a deaf-owned and deaf-led business committed to education justice for deaf students. The team are all deaf and have various educational experiences and backgrounds. We are passionate about improving the educational system and, consequently, outcomes for deaf people worldwide, as we know what it is like to be shut out of educational opportunities.
We’re a research-based, community-driven company building a truly accessible bilingual education resource marketplace, including tutoring, curriculum resources, and genAI tools to power learning.
Meet the Team!
Thadeus E. Brown
Thadeus is Deaf, grew up attending a mainstream environment, and graduated from Gallaudet University with a Psychology degree. He worked in Deaf Education for several years in mainstream, residential, and itinerant settings. He has witnessed firsthand the inequities and lack of resources in the system. Thadeus saw an opportunity to address these inequities when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the reorientation of education to a virtual format, and VASLA was born. He currently works as a Deaf Interpreter.
Sean A. Maiwald, MPP
Sean is Deaf, grew up in a mainstream environment and is a serial entrepreneur, founding three businesses and a nonprofit before joining the VASLA team. Currently, Sean teaches at Gallaudet University, providing a unique understanding of what deaf students need when it comes to being prepared for college.
Sean believes that there is a significant resources gap, especially for mainstreamed students. He holds a Masters of Public Policy from The George Washington University and is a deaf education policy expert. Formerly, Sean worked at an education research lab, with an unique understanding of the challenges of deaf education.