Lane was the Matthews Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, and founder of the Center for Research in Hearing, Speech, and Language [citation needed].
[4][3] Lane, a hearing man, became an often controversial spokesman for the Deaf community and critic of cochlear implants.
He wrote extensively on the social construction of disability and stated that "Unless Deaf people challenge the culturally determined meanings of deaf and disability with at least as much vigor as the technologies of normalization seek to institutionalize those meanings, the day will continue to recede in which Deaf children and adults live the fullest lives and make the fullest contribution to our diverse society.
[4][6] He was Commandeur de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, the highest level of the academic honor given out by the French government.
[citation needed] Lane died in France from Parkinson's disease on July 13, 2019, at the age of 82.