Celebrating Deaf Entrepreneurs During National Disability Employment Awareness Month

The image shows a smiling woman with curly hair sitting at a wooden table, working with both a smartphone and a notebook. She appears to be in a bright, cozy environment, with sunlight filtering through the window in the background. On the table in front of her, there is an open laptop, a cup of coffee, and a bouquet of flowers in a vase, adding a warm touch to the workspace. The background is enhanced by teal, light blue, and white abstract curves, which add a modern, dynamic feel to the image. The overall mood is one of productivity and positivity.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)—the perfect time to celebrate the incredible contributions people with disabilities make to the workforce. This year’s theme, “Access is Good Jobs for All,” really hits home. It’s all about making sure that everyone, including deaf people, has access to the jobs they deserve. For many deaf individuals, one of the most empowering paths is entrepreneurship. Why? Because it gives them the freedom to take control of their careers and create the kind of work environments they need to succeed.

Introducing the New Deaf Awareness Micro Certificate

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National Deaf Center (NDC) is launching a new learning opportunity: the Deaf Awareness Micro Certificate! This self-paced program is designed for everyone— disability services professionals in higher ed, postsecondary training professionals, ASL students, educators, and service providers. This certificate provides foundational knowledge to help professionals improve educational and training program experiences for deaf students.

Foster Belonging for Deaf Students on Your Campus

The image shows a group of 8 students standing in a room. They are wearing casual clothing, including jeans. Some of the people are smiling.

Creating a welcoming and supportive campus for all students is crucial, especially for deaf students. Deaf students face unique challenges when transitioning to college, and these challenges can sometimes make it hard for them to stay engaged and succeed. To help these students feel like they belong, and encourage them to stay in school, institutions should make a campus-wide commitment to improving the campus experience for deaf students.

Are You Ready to Navigate Graduate School as a Deaf Student?

The image shows a group of people standing in front of a building with colorful illustrative lines running behind them. They are smiling and appear to be outdoors.

Are you thinking about graduate school? Or maybe you’re about to start? If so, you’re not alone! More deaf students are enrolling in graduate programs each year, including healthcare programs and majors. Getting a master’s degree or higher can help you earn more money and open up more career opportunities. On average, deaf individuals with a master’s degree or higher earn $15,000 more per year than those with just a bachelor’s degree (Bloom, Palmer, Winninghoff, 2024).

State Agencies Unite to Advance Equity in Deaf Youth Programs

The image shows a man sitting in front of a computer. The man's face and clothing are visible, and he is indoors with a computer screen in front of him. The background includes a wall.

The National Deaf Center (NDC) hosted a national training session on May 22nd, bringing together 40 participants from various state agencies to focus on advancing equity in programs serving deaf youth. This initiative is part of NDC’s ongoing commitment to creating more inclusive and equitable environments for this population.

Fall Semester Prep Made Easy: Your Guide to Improving Services for Deaf Students

Are you a disability services professional looking to better serve deaf students at your institution? The National Deaf Center (NDC) is here to help you get ahead of the semester and elevate your professional competencies in working with deaf students this fall! We know that sometimes it can be challenging to know where to begin, so we’ve laid out a few key tasks below to help get started in creating an inclusive and accessible experience for deaf students and build relationships with deaf communities.

Spend Your Summer with Deafverse!

The image is a illustration image of the game DeafVerse with the text "Choose Your Future" with the website "deafverse.com"

Summer break is almost here! While you’re winding down, why not get a head start on the fall semester? National Deaf Center (NDC) offers FREE resources to help your students develop crucial self-advocacy and career readiness skills. These resources include curriculum-ready strategy guides for both teachers and students, making lesson planning a breeze! What better way to return to the classroom refreshed and prepared?

Webinar Recap: Effective Speech-to-Text Solutions for Deaf Students

On April 11th, 2024, NDC partnered with Global Alliance to host a webinar titled “CART, C-Print, TypeWell: Your Guide to Effective Speech-to-Text Solutions Webinar.” This event was designed to break down and simplify the different speech-to-text (STT) services available, making it easier for educators, parents, and students to understand available options. The webinar covered key differences between popular STT systems like CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation), TypeWell, and C-Print, and provided guidance on how to choose the most effective service based on individual student needs.

Five Strategies for Supporting Deaf Student Interns

Are you involved in supporting deaf students through their internships or fieldwork? Maybe you’re a career counselor, a teacher, or a parent looking to support a deaf student’s journey into the professional world. Or you might even be a student looking for ways to self-advocate as you begin or continue your internship journey. No matter your role, supporting deaf interns as they take steps toward their future careers is a crucial component to their success.

Beyond the Margins: A Women’s History Month Data Dive

Did you know that more deaf women are going to college than deaf men? It’s true! About 6.4% of deaf women are in college compared to 4.2% of deaf men (Bloom, Palmer, Winninghoff, 2024). But overall, not many deaf people are going to college compared to those who can hear. That’s because there are still some big challenges, like sign language interpreter shortages, financial barriers, and not as many deaf students enrolling overall.

Creating Summer Camps Designed for Deaf Youth

For deaf youth, summer camps bring opportunities to build relationships, develop their identities, and strengthen skills for the future. Whether they are day camps focused on coding, virtual programs in the arts, or overnight outdoor adventures, research shows that summer programs can have a significant, positive impact on the lives of deaf youth.

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