DeafTEC: Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

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The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), one of the eight colleges of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), is developing and implementing the ATE Center of Excellence, DeafTEC: Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students. DeafTEC serves as a resource for high schools and community colleges that educate deaf and hard-of-hearing (deaf/hh) students in STEM-related programs and for employers hiring deaf/hh individuals. The Center outcomes include: (1) a comprehensive website providing a clearinghouse for information related to technical education and technician careers for deaf/hh students, including career awareness materials, teaching strategies for improving student access to learning, developmental math and English curricula, and information for employers to help them provide a more accessible workplace; and (2) a model within three targeted regions of the country, California, Florida, and Texas, that creates partnerships among high schools, community colleges, and industry to improve access to technological education and employment for deaf/hh students. The goal is to successfully integrate more deaf/hh individuals into the workplace in highly skilled technician jobs where these individuals are currently underrepresented and underutilized.The Center is impacting the knowledge and attitudes of high school teachers, community college faculty, employers, and the deaf/hh students themselves in terms of the educational and employment opportunities and options available to these students. DeafTec is providing professional development experiences in STEM subjects and in pedagogy that provides greater access to learning for deaf/hh students, as well as all students in the classroom including those with language difficulties. Finally, it is establishing, expanding, or improving pathways for deaf/hh students to transition from high school to college in several STEM areas.