Deaf-Led Strategy.
Designed for Real-World Impact.
I’m Jordan Sangalang — a Deaf strategist, solopreneur, and father working with organisations ready to rethink how communication, participation, and access actually function.
I was born into a hearing family who didn’t initially know sign language. Like many Deaf people, I grew up navigating systems not designed with me in mind — and learned early that access isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you build.
My family and I developed our own ways of connecting. Not through policy, but through intention. That experience shaped how I understand access today: not as a checklist, but as a relationship between design, decision-making, and values.
From Lived Experience to Strategic Insight
My academic and professional path spans Deaf education in Canada and the U.S., undergraduate studies at UBC, graduate work at Gallaudet University, and doctoral-level research at the University of Manitoba.
I eventually stepped away from academia for a simple reason: my work belongs where decisions are being made.
Over the years, I’ve worked across education, non-profit, social services, and corporate environments — often alongside leaders who genuinely believe they understand accessibility, yet unknowingly reproduce barriers through language, structure, and policy.
I’ve lived the consequences of those gaps.
And that lived reality sharpened my ability to see where systems break down — and how to redesign them.
A Different Lens on Access
Early in my career, I co-founded 100 Decibels: A Deaf Mime Troupe, using physical comedy and performance to communicate without relying on spoken or sign language. That work wasn’t about translation — it was about meaning, perception, and attention.
That lens still informs everything I do today.
I don’t approach access as accommodation.
I approach it as design intelligence.
This allows me to help organisations:
- identify blind spots before they become risks
- shift from compliance-driven thinking to leadership-driven standards
- design communication systems that reflect how people actually live, work, and engage
How I Work With Organisations
I partner with organisations that are ready to move beyond surface-level access and into intentional, Deaf-informed strategy.
My work typically includes:
- Strategic Access Audits
Examining communication, decision pathways, and systems to identify where access breaks down — and why. - Advisory & Leadership Support
Working directly with leadership teams to embed Deaf-centred thinking into planning, policy, and practice. - Implementation Guidance
Supporting internal teams as they translate insight into sustainable action.
The goal is not to “add access.”
The goal is to design it into how your organisation already operates.
Why This Matters to Me
I’m a Deaf father raising Deaf children. That makes the stakes personal — but it also makes the work clear.
I’m not interested in short-term fixes.
I’m invested in long-term standards.
The choices organisations make today shape the world the next generation inherits. My role is to help ensure those choices are informed, intentional, and grounded in reality — not assumptions.
Ready to Move Forward?
If your organisation is ready to rethink how access is designed — not added — I’d love to connect.
Or, if you prefer to start with a conversation:
