Class of 2022

An African American man standing tall behind a building with huge glass windows; he's wearing a black and blue stripe suit with a blue dress shirt and dark blue tie he's bald and smiling big with his hands in his pockets.

Michael Agyin

Deaf & Disability rights advocate

We are proud to induct Michael Agyin into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.

Michael Agyin is a Deaf & Disability rights advocate. Son of Ghanian immigrants, he was born in Springfield Massachusetts but raised in Compton, California. It wasn’t until college that Michael understood he was not alone in the way he experienced life and that there was a word to describe people like himself: Deaf. He quickly became empowered by learning American Sign Language (ASL) during undergrad, and he began to see the need for deaf advocacy on campus as well as the larger community. Michael became determined to break the barrier that exists between the Hearing and Deaf worlds. This determination earned him the CSUN National Center on Deafness Outstanding Humanitarian Award.

After College, Michael continued working on his advocacy most recently spending the last 8 years as a Behavior Therapist for Deaf youth with autism leasing them to live full and inspired lives despite their disability. He has also served as a Governor appointee to the State Independent Living Council, a dedicated volunteer for the California Youth Leadership Forum for Youth with Disabilities, for many years and has served as President of Hear Zero (an African American Deaf Advocacy group).

Outside of Michael’s ongoing work as a deaf and disability rights advocate, he is a runner, a Star Wars enthusiast, an Uncle extraordinaire, & friend to many.