Dr. Jerome Daniel Schein was born on May 27, 1923 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the youngest of three sons of Adolph and Jeanette Green Schein. Upon graduation from North High School in Minneapolis in 1941, he attended the University of Minnesota. Dr. Schein received his B.A. in 1946, M.A. in 1947, and Ph.D. in 1958, all in psychology.

From 1958 to 1959, Dr. Schein was an instructor of clinical psychology at the University of Wisconsin. The following year, he accepted a position at Florida State University as assistant professor of clinical psychology. His association with Gallaudet University began in 1960, when he was appointed professor of psychology. While in that capacity, Dr. Schein was also the director of the Office of Psychological Research. He left in 1968 to become the dean of the College of Education at the University of Cincinnati. In 1970, he became professor of sensory rehabilitation at New York University, a position he still holds today as emeritus professor. While there, he was the director of the Deafness Research and Training Center. In 1986, he became the Powrie Vaux Doctor Chair of Deafness Research at Gallaudet University for one year. He was the David Peikoff Chair of Deafness Studies at the University of Alberta from 1989 to 1992, and still serves as adjunct professor of education there. Presently, Dr. Schein is in private practice as consultant on sensory rehabilitation and is a senior research fellow at Gallaudet University. He has authored numerous publications on sensory impairments and has received several honors and awards.

Dr. Schein was married to the former Enid Gordon Wolf on April 18, 1982. He has two daughters, Carole Owens and Raleigh Schein, and two stepsons, Laurence and Marcus Wolf.