Claudia L. Gordon

Claudia L. Gordon is the first deaf Black female attorney in the United States. She currently works in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Previously she held a position in the White House Office of Public Engagement as the Public Engagement Advisor to the Disability Community for less than a year. She is also the first deaf person to work at the White House in an detailee capacity. In an interview she makes a point that there was a deaf intern working in the White House before her, and that there are currently other deaf people working in less prestigious positions in the White House.

Claudia L. Gordon was born in Jamaica. After having sharp pains in her ears, her aunt, who took care of her at the time, took her to a small clinic, as there were no hospitals. She was deaf at the age of eight. She didn't believe she was deaf because she had been reading peoples lip and thought she was hearing their voice. She faced discrimination in Jamaica because she was deaf. When she was 11, she moved to the United States and enrolled at the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York.She was happy to move there because she wasn't receiving any education in Jamaica.

Gordon graduated from Howard University in 1995 with a bachelor of arts in political science. At Howard, she was a Patricia Robert Harris Public Affairs Fellow, member of the Golden Keys National Honor Society, and member of the Political Science Honor Society.

She received the Skadden Fellowship for law graduates working with disabled people. This paid for her to work at the National Association of the Deaf Law and Advocacy Center. This allowed her to provide, "Direct representation and advocacy for poor deaf persons with a particular emphasis on outreach to those who are members of minority groups." Next, she became a consultant to the National Council on Disability and joined the Department of Homeland Security.At Homeland Security Gordon was the senior policy advisor for the Department of Homeland Security,the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

Claudia Gordon has been active in both the black deaf community and the disability community. She was the vice president of the National Black Deaf Advocates.She is also associated with the National Coalition for Disability Rights.

In 2004, she was named secretary of the Board for the Lexington Board of Directors.

• Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities - 2003