A teacher at heart, Pascual’s lifelong career focuses on sign language teaching, as both L1 and L2. Pascual strives to keep abreast of the best practices in teaching languages and to follow the latest developments in the study of deaf cultures and sign languages. He is working on a phonological writing system for sign languages that is practical to use in everyday life, as opposed to the notation systems used for the analysis and research of sign languages. He is also interested in sign language etymology. He's currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program.
After graduating from the Universidad de Deusto in Spain with a Master's in Computer Science, Pascual participated in research projects on advanced technology at CERFACS in France. At the request of parents of deaf children, a multidisciplinary team, including Pascual, designed an innovative bilingual high school program for Deaf students in Toulouse, France, which has been operating since its creation in 1995. He also became a teacher in this pioneering program for a few years. This educational endeavor captivated Pascual, redirecting his career to teaching sign languages.
Pascual married an American fellow teacher and moved to Connecticut in 2008. Thanks to living and working in Spain, France, and the United States, he is fluent in six languages (Spanish, French, and English, as well as three sign languages: Spanish, French, and American). He also has meaningful insights into the cultures of the three countries and their respective deaf communities. Before being appointed at Wesleyan University in 2022, Pascual taught American Sign Language and Deaf Studies at the University of Connecticut, Northwestern Connecticut Community College, Central Connecticut State University, and Quinnipiac University.
A learner at heart, Pascual continually seeks to learn about languages and cultures by reading, traveling, and connecting with local communities. He also loves science fiction because it satisfies his curiosity about society, history, politics, science, and technology. He and his spouse enjoy spending quality time with their family, walking on trails, and occasionally going out for fine dining.
“That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well”.
From the play "Almansor" written by Heinrich Heine in 1921. The quote is featured in The Empty Library.
