As we begin our school another school year, planning for the future begins in earnest for many students. This includes deaf students, who face systemic barriers to achieving and advancing in their postsecondary goals, in addition to the everyday challenges faced during the transition to life after high school.
The National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC) has identified negative attitudes and biases as one of the most significant barriers that directly impact deaf students. Deaf students with multiple identities, such as race, ethnicity, and additional disabilities, may experience even more barriers, especially compounded biases and attitudes. These attitudes, biases, and barriers are pervasive throughout the education system and serve to marginalize the experiences of deaf students.
To help break down these barriers, NDC is offering a webinar called Attitudes & Biases as Barriers for Deaf Students on October 20th, from 1-2 pm CT. This training will introduce how biases, attitudes, and social constructs impact educational attainment and experiences for deaf students. The session will allow participants to examine how attitudes and biases result in barriers for deaf students, how limited access to education is shaped by ideologies of deaf people and their identities and experiences, and how we can take action to create a positive impact as both an individual and educators.
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify how current systems do not consider the experiences, perspectives, or needs of an individual’s lived experiences.
- Understand how deaf people who are also people of color and/or are deaf disabled, deafblind, or LGBTQIA2S+ continually have traumatic encounters, disproportionate access to opportunities, and exclusion in education and employment settings.
- Explore underlying assumptions and understand how they can lead to interactions that negatively affect deaf people and cause unpredictable harm. They will also look inward at their own biases and privileges as a step towards dismantling assumptions and potential barriers they may create for deaf people.
- Take action to make changes in their practice to create positive experiences for deaf people, practice cultural humility and honor the diverse experiences and identities of deaf students, and learn about the experiences of deaf people.
- Commit to an equity mindset that encourages ongoing reflection and revision of beliefs and practices to ensure every person is included.
Be sure to register today! bit.ly/3y2IqCn
General Information About NDC Events
Accessibility
Interpreters and real-time captioning will be provided for all events.
Please email help@nationaldeafcenter.org at least three business days before the event for additional access requests.
Event Code of Conduct
All are invited to participate as you are, engage with our team, and connect with other participants to learn together. NDC is committed to creating a harassment-free space of learning that welcomes all participants regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, transgender status, age, body type, appearances, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), veteran or marital status, national origin, or other classification protected by law. You agree to abide by the event code of conduct by attending the event.
NDC has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind and expects all event participants will help uphold a positive experience for all. NDC reserves the right to take any necessary and appropriate action, including immediate removal from the event, in response to any incident that violates the above-mentioned expectations. NDC also reserves the right to prohibit participation at any future events, virtually or in person.
Participants are expected to:
- Conduct themselves in a manner that is considerate, respectful, and professional in their interactions with all present at the event.
- Refrain from disruptive, disrespectful, disparaging, discouraging, discriminatory, or demeaning conduct.
- Inform NDC if you notice any behavior not aligned with the conduct expectation outlined above.
- Seek assistance from NDC staff at the event or by emailing help@nationaldeafcenter.org.
Event FAQ:
- Does registration cost anything? No.
- Who can attend the live event? The target audience for this content are service providers working in postsecondary and education training settings, but all are welcome.
- Will professional development credits be offered for this panel? No.
- Will a recording be made available to those who could not attend? Yes, a recording will be released several weeks after the original event date.
- Will interpreters or real-time captioning be provided? Yes, both are being provided. If you have additional accommodation needs, please email help@nationaldeafcenter.org.
Additional event FAQs are available online.
