Bernadette Bisbing is from the Philadelphia area. She grew up as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). American Sign Language (ASL) was her first language growing up. She has had a life-long interest in learning and comparing visual and audial communication methods. She prefers to use the term “shared history” over “oral history.”

Bernadette graduated from Temple University with her B.A majoring in History and Political Science focusing on “Third-World History” and “International Politics” as her main areas of study. She minored in Art and Latin American Studies. Later she graduated from Temple University with her M.A. in History with Soviet History as her specialized area of study. After graduating from Temple, she worked in various non-profit jobs and customer service jobs until she decided to pursue ASL-English interpreting. After working with Deaf and Deaf-Blind students for a few years she has decided to return to her first academic love - History. Most recently she has been researching police brutality in in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Outside of work and studying, Bernadette enjoys running. She has completed 27 marathons and hopes to join the 50-state marathon and half marathon clubs. She is nearing the half way mark with 24 states crossed off the list. Besides running she enjoys yoga, lifting weights, and hiking. She is an avid nature enthusiast and is also is an animal enthusiast. She often pet sits cats and dogs and currently has three cats.