Dr. Ladner is a Boeing professor in computer science and engineering in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, where he is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and in the Department of Linguistics. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971.

Since 1994, as part of the DO-IT Project, he has held a summer workshop for high school students with disabilities, encouraging them to pursue college programs and careers in science, mathematics, and engineering. He is a recipient of the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

Dr. Ladner's parents, Emil ('35) and Mary ('36), and his sister, Suzanne Boesen (G-'62), are Gallaudet alumni. He is fluent in American Sign Language. When he was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1985 and 1986, Dr. Ladner was a visiting faculty member at Gallaudet. He has made efforts to help the University of Washington become more welcoming to deaf students, faculty, and staff, and succeeded in having the university offer its first American Sign Language classes this fall.

• University of Washington faculty profile
• The Purpose Prize 2009 Winner