Arooj Ajaz ’15 (laboratory science technology), ’17 (university studies) is a leader who is enthusiastic about advocating for the inclusion of deaf youth and helping people become leaders in the Deaf community on a local and global scale.
Ajaz, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, is the vice president of World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section (WFDYS), dedicated to advocating for human rights and equality of deaf youth around the world. In her role, she is responsible for managing communications to promote awareness of human rights of deaf youth and presenting information about WFDYS.
In July 2023, Ajaz traveled to South Korea for the 19th WFD World Congress where she presented on leadership, events, and activities. Her presentation was well received and led to her being appointed vice president.
“I didn’t expect to be vice president, but people, including WFDYS representatives, voted for me as a result of my presentation,” she explained. “In my presentation, I spoke about being a Muslim woman and being BIOPOC, and how I am able to help people who are just starting out or don't know how to become a leader.”
While World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) is a well-known deaf organization worldwide, not many deaf people in the United States are familiar with WFDYS. As part of Ajaz’s campaign, she plans to use communication platforms to raise awareness and spread the message about the organization’s mission to support the human rights of deaf youth by ensuring that children have full access to bilingual education and sign language and have a strong cultural and linguistic identity.
“Internationally, I have noticed that people share information about events and WFDYS more frequently,” Ajaz said. “There is less sharing in the United States, so we need more social media activity and a bigger organization on our side to get the word out. That’s the main reason why I’m vice president; I’m in charge of spreading the word about WFDYS to the United States, so more people learn what the WFDYS is all about.”
She also noticed that few people of color, especially Muslim women, are involved in WFDYS. To ensure that BIPOC individuals have a chance to become leaders, she hopes to inspire and urge aspiring deaf leaders to get involved with WFDYS and take on leadership roles to empower deaf people in different countries.
Ajaz plans to attend events to connect and engage with deaf communities and share information about WFDYS’s mission and vision.
She is working with WFDYS representatives to organize a camp to provide leadership training and education on human rights, focusing on equality and advocacy for children and youth. Individuals interested in attending the camp will have an opportunity to learn leadership skills, experience cultural exchange between different nationalities, and celebrate linguistic and cultural identity.
When she was a student at RIT/NTID, Ajaz was involved in the Deaf International Students Association (DISA), a student-led organization that promotes a culture of diversity and values among students. She credits RIT/NTID for developing her skills and helping her become a confident leader.
“At RIT/NTID, I learned how to become a leader, to improve my social skills, and to gain confidence,” she said. “One of the things I am most proud of is that I have been able to get involved with a lot of organizations and help people become leaders in their community. I love helping people.”
After graduating from RIT/NTID, she worked as a teacher at Oregon School for the Deaf, where she taught all subjects to children at an elementary level prior to joining WFDYS.
Last spring, Ajaz visited RIT to present “Ramadan: What is Islam/Muslim?” hosted by NTID’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. In her presentation, she discussed the difference between Islam and Muslims, the rules of Islam, and women’s rights from a Muslim’s personal experience.
To learn more about WFDYS, visit their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.
