CSD 269- L6

One Deaf Individual's Experience

After surviving *Viral Meningitis disease*, I became profoundly deaf at fifteen months old. Shortly after I recovered, I went to a mainstream preschool where I learned English sign language, which we had to use signs for each word in English, such as articles for "the", "a", "an", and "or." Later, I would discount the sign language in favor of combined *Pidgin Signed English *and *American Sign Language*. An *Intermediate Unit (IU), *an educating agency in Pennsylvania which serves many children with disabilities in statewide, supported the preschool. My hometown's school district did not have an IU program; therefore I had to travel to another school district where it had an IU program. I was inserted in a small class with my deaf and hard of hearing classmates and we had special education teachers who knew sign language. I did not recall much of my early childhood memories. All I could remember the confused feeling I had back then. I had this feeling that I wasn't sure why I was with these deaf children who were like myself yet we were different from other children who did not know sign language. When I got older, I understood the feeling I had that I was different from hearing children because I was deaf and I couldn't use my speech. *As I entered the elementary school*, slowly, I was exposed to mainstream classes. I took classes such as math, physical education and arts with hearing students and a sign language interpreter did accompany me at all times. I remembered I had to take social studies and science with several deaf students in classroom with a teacher from the IU. I was only one out of my deaf class who could attention many mainstream classes. Both class environments were different for me. In a deaf class, it was made up of a small group of deaf students and all of us used signs along with the teacher. I recalled that I briefly took writing & reading class with the hearing class but later I was pulled out. I had to take the class with other deaf students. I tried to ask the teacher why I was here with them. She did not give me an explanation but I later remembered it had do with the issue with many deaf struggling with learning English language. *In a hearing class, I would sometime feel intimidated* because I knew I was only deaf in that class and I felt I was being trapped in a box with one open view towards to either the interpreter or the teacher. I wouldn't know what's happening in a classroom and I always had to pay attention to the interpreter. If I would look around the room, the *interpreter would lightly kick my desk* to get my attention. Sometime she would scorn at me and I wouldn't know why I had to look at her all the time. For many years, I spent time with interpreters in school, I learned it was not easy to lock eyes onto an interpreter all times and my eyes would get tired. From time to time, I needed a break from looking at them and I just scanned around. Several of my interpreters showed their displease and I just shrugged. Nevertheless, I had a *great experience in mainstream class* because it challenged me more than I was in the deaf class. *Before I started sixth grade*, my deaf classmates and I were moved to a different school district where an IU program supported both middle and high schools. My IU teacher in middle school decided to give me more challenges so she assigned me to science, math, and few other classes in mainstream. English class was one of few subjects I spent time in deaf class. *In my eighth grade year*, it was very rough for me. That year was my first exposure to all mainstream classes except English. I did not know how to manage my time with balancing the workload from the mainstream classes. I crumpled from the stress. My parents and my teacher had a meeting and they decided to take me out of a couple classes to lighten the school workload. I believed I struggled too much because I had to digest a lot of reading from books and struggled to answer word problems. *With light-load classes, I felt much better.* *As I entered high school*, it was decided that I would take more mainstream classes. However, this time, I would have at least one study hall to spend time studying and doing homework. I did take most subjects in mainstream class and in my sophomore year, I finally took English literature in mainstream. I told my IU teacher that I intended to improve my English skills because I wanted to go to a college and find a job on my own. I requested her help to tutor me and improve my grammar knowledge and expand my vocabulary. With her help, *I was able to pass all my literature classes in high school*. I decided that I would attend *Rochester Institute of Technology* to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. RIT has excellent deaf education support and it had over two thousand deaf and hard of hearing students out of 15,000 students during my time. RIT's deaf support was similar to my high school years. I had interpreters and note-takers in class. I also did take a few deaf classes, which we had professors who were either deaf or knew sign languages. Due to my surprise, I only had to take two literature classes at RIT. Thanks to my high school teacher; all of my hard work with English did pay off. Often I thought my *English* wasn't up to level same as other hearing students. I always assumed that if they could hear, they would have better English than I did. It was not the case. *After I finished college*, I quietly admitted to my older sister that I did not feel satisfied with my English and would have to continue improving it. My sister replied that it was not true. She said my English is much better than other hearing people she worked with. When she helped proofreading my papers, my sister told me that while she took classes with other students at a university, their English was amateurish and often consisted of inconsistent words mixed up with Internet abbreviations. From her comments, it made me feel great about my hard work in school.

Gallaudet University, Part 2

*Gallaudet University is located in Washington D.C. *and was *founded by Thomas Gallaudet's son Edward Minor Gallaudet*. It is the world's only *liberal arts university* with programs specifically designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The *charter *for the Gallaudet College, it became Gallaudet University in 1986, was signed by *President Abraham Lincoln*. The college was *named after *Edward's father and there is a beautiful sculpture on campus of Thomas and Alice Cogswell. On a side note the *artist who crafted the sculpture*, *Daniel Chester French*, is the same artist who crafted the *Lincoln Memorial*. Some people say that French made President Lincoln's hands as they rest on the arms of his chair to represent the shape of the letters A and L in ASL. Others contend that it is just a coincidence.

Two Unique Institutions of Higher Education

*The National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology* is located in Rochester, New York and *Gallaudet University *is located in Washington DC. Both of these universities have a long tradition of education for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. They are experts in accommodations and provisions for the deaf and hard of hearing college student. We will look at each of these two institutions separately by exploring fast facts about the institutions. It is important to note that a student who is deaf and seeking a university education is *not limited to these two universities*. *All universities are required to provide access to their programs* through accommodations that match the need of the student. Technologies to accommodate students in both educational and employment settings will be discussed in upcoming lessons.

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology

The first university we will look at is the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology. *Fast Facts:* Location: Western New York, in suburban Rochester. Website: www.ntid.edu *Mission Statement* of NTID is "to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students with outstanding state-of-the-art technical and professional education programs, complemented by a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, that prepare them to live and work in the mainstream of a rapidly changing global community and enhance their lifelong learning." *Programs at NTID include* associate degrees in more than 30 programs. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students who qualify can also receive a bachelor or master degree in more than 200 majors offered by RIT. *Research* at the university according to the NTID website is an "Integrated research program of national and international prominence, focusing on teaching and learning; access, support services, and related technology; communication in personal, learning, and working environments and enrollment management." *Enrollment* at the university is 1, 474 students in the fall of 2009. 28.1 percent of the students enrolled are minority students and 2.8 percent are international students. *Cost to attend* the university in 2010/2011 school year was a total of $21,516. Through financial aid, a combination of grant-in-aid, vocational rehabilitation, Pell and federal and state grants and 73 endowed funds that generate support for students based on financial need and academic merit the average aid per domestic student can equal $10, 059 not including loans.

Deaf President Now

Deaf President Now was a *peaceful protest* that some may consider to be the *most significant event in American Deaf History*. We will explore what led up to the protest that *took place at Gallaudet University* in March 1988 and investigate the impact it has had on the Deaf community and the hearing community. In 1987 the 6th president of Gallaudet, *Dr. Jerry Lee*, announced his resignation. As would happen at any university, the Board of Trustees established a search committee and a consultant was hired. Gallaudet began to accept applications for the job. It is important to note that the *university had not had a deaf president for the 124 years* of its existence. *It was felt by Deaf Students that the Deaf University should be led by someone who had the experiences of being deaf in order to be a good role model to other institutions and to deaf individuals around the world*. Thus, during the time of the search, there were mini rallies and letters to the board to support the selection of a deaf President for the university. In January of 1988, the search committee had reduced the number of applicant for president to twelve, and interviews were conducted. In mid-January the field of possible presidents was narrowed to six; three hearing and three deaf. In February 1988 the finalists for the position were announced. The three finalists were *Dr. Harvey Corson, Dr. I. King Jordan and Dr. Elisabeth Zinser. Dr. Corson* was a deaf man serving as the superintendent of the *Louisiana School for the Deaf. Dr. I. King Jordan *was a deaf man who was currently the dean of the University's College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Elisabeth Zinser was a hearing woman and assistant chancellor of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. The board interviewed Dr. Zinser and Dr. King on Saturday March 5th and Dr. Corson on Sunday March 6th. An announcement from the board was scheduled to occur at 8:00 PM on Sunday evening, but things did not go as planned. The board made their announcement at 6:30 PM that they had chosen Dr. Zinser as Gallaudet's new president. The week of March 1, 1988 was a week which included the *first official rally in support of a deaf president*. Related to this event, letters of encouragement for the Board of Trustees to select a deaf president for the university were sent to the university.

Gallaudet University, Part 3

Gallaudet University *provides a setting where* deaf and hard-of-hearing students have all of the accessibility to education necessary for them to develop and explore the field of their choice. The *language of the university* is bilingual using ASL and English. All levels of signers are supported at the university and training and assessment programs exist so everyone may develop fluent sign language. *Faculty and staff *are required to develop and use ASL in their everyday interaction with the students on campus. *The university's Sign Communication Statement holds three principles as its guide*: —Effective sign communication supports education. —Sign communication will be inclusive, recognizing the individual's communication needs; respectful of each person's sign language style; and flexible so the public discourse is fully accessible to everyone. —Direct sign communication is central to Gallaudet's vision; therefore, training and assessment programs provide the opportunity for everyone on campus to become fluent signers.

Gallaudet University, Part 1

Gallaudet University is the second stop on our university tour. *Fast Facts* Address: 800 Florida Avenue, Washington DC 20002 Website: www.gallaudet.edu *Founded in 1864 by an Act of Congress* *Mission statement*: Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world. *Vision statement*: Gallaudet University will build upon its rich history as the world's premier higher education institution serving deaf and hard of hearing people to become the university of first choice for the most qualified, diverse group of deaf and hard of hearing students in the world, as well as hearing students pursuing careers related to deaf and hard of hearing people. Gallaudet will empower its graduates with the knowledge and practical skills vital to achieving personal and professional success in the changing local and global communities in which they live and work. Gallaudet will also strive to become the leading international resource for research, innovation and outreach related to deaf and hard of hearing people. *Programs *at the university are for both undergraduate and graduate students. There are more than 40 majors for undergraduate students to choose from. The majority of students at the undergraduate level are deaf or hard-of-hearing. In 2001, the Hearing Undergraduate Students (HUG) program was established. This is a program designed for hearing students who have knowledge of ASL and who desire to pursue a career in a deaf related field to attend the university. There is a limited number of HUGs admitted to the university each year, approximately 5 to 10% of an incoming freshman class. *Graduate programs* are open to deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing students and award Master of Arts or Science degrees and Doctoral degrees in fields that involve professional service to deaf and hard of hearing people. *Research* conducted at the university occurs on topics of concern to deaf people and those who are involved with deaf individuals. *Enrollment* in 2010 was a total of 1,793 students. International students make up approximately 6% of the degree-seeking students. *Cost to attend* the university according to the 2010-2011 Tuition and Fees chart is $10,850 for undergraduate U.S. students, $21,700 for International undergraduates and $11,930 for U.S graduate students, $23,860 for International graduate students. Room and board at the university costs $9,860.

Higher Education for the Deaf

The process for an individual to decide what college to attend is as unique as the person themselves. *Some factors that may be a part of the decision for a deaf student* would be: —Preferred language (American Sign Language, Signed English System, spoken English or Cued Speech) of the student. —Family background (Deaf parents vs. Hearing parents, involvement in the Deaf community). —Educational choices for primary and secondary schooling (residential school, included classroom in public school, etc). The two universities that we will examine in this lesson are not the only options for deaf and hard-of-hearing students who wish to pursue their college degree. *All universities, public and private, have a responsibility to provide access to their programs for deaf students* by providing any necessary accommodations for the student. Many deaf and hard-of-hearing students attend "*regular" post-secondary intuitions* with all of the support services needed to be successful, but others have expressed frustrations for availability of services. For example, *Jenna Russell* describes students' from *Northeastern University* and their frustrations with interpreting services. Also take a look at a recent lawsuit from the *National Association of the Deaf against Dayton State College* for their failure to provide appropriate access to the learning environment.