Ronice Müller de Quadros (born May 5, 1969, in Porto Alegre, Brazil) is a Brazilian linguist, pedagogue, and researcher recognized for her pioneering work on the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), particularly in the fields of language acquisition and bimodal bilingualism. She is a professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and has played a central role in the academic institutionalization of sign language studies in Brazil.
Early Life and Education
Quadros was born into a family with deaf parents, identifying as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), which strongly influenced her involvement with the Deaf community from an early age. She pursued her initial education at private and public schools in Porto Alegre. Between 1985 and 1988, she studied teaching at Colégio Sévigné, which marked the beginning of her pedagogical training[1].
In 1989, she began a degree in Pedagogy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and later completed it at the University of Caxias do Sul in 1992. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a teacher at the Municipal School Helen Keller in Caxias do Sul, dedicated to deaf students. This experience sparked her interest in language acquisition and linguistics[1].
Quadros earned her master's and doctoral degrees at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul and later completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard University[1].
Academic Career
In 2002, Quadros joined the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) as a faculty member[1]. At UFSC, she established the Deaf Studies Group and consolidated the Núcleo de Aquisição de Línguas de Sinais e Corpus da Libras (Center for Sign Language Acquisition and Libras Corpus), both of which became leading research hubs for sign language linguistics in Brazil. Her main research interests include linguistics, Libras, and bimodal bilingualism[1].
Contribution to Libras and Teacher Education
Quadros has been instrumental in promoting the formal recognition and teaching of Libras in Brazilian higher education. In 2005, she spearheaded the creation of the first undergraduate program in Letras Libras at UFSC. This initiative, developed in collaboration with the Brazilian Federation of the Deaf (FENEIS) and with input from international curricula such as those of Gallaudet University (United States), Sweden, and Spain, aimed to train teachers of Libras at the university level. This program became a milestone in the professionalization of sign language instruction in Brazil[1].
Recognition and Legacy
As a deaf scholar, she has played a pivotal role in advancing the scientific study, recognition, and teaching of sign languages in Brazil and internationally. She is frequently invited to speak at international conferences and has collaborated with researchers worldwide. Her legacy includes not only her academic publications but also the generations of linguists, educators, and interpreters she has trained, ensuring the continued growth and professionalization of sign language studies in Brazil[2].
- Wikipédia. (2023). Ronice Müller de Quadros. In Wikipédia.
- Quadros, R. M. de. Curriculum vitae. COPeLS.
