Employment and Education in the Rural Deaf Landscape
Rural areas boast beautiful open spaces and close-knit communities, but they also come with big challenges, especially for deaf people. A new report from NDC—“Rural Deaf Experiences: Employment and Educational Attainment Data”—shows that deaf people in rural areas face more obstacles than those in cities. They have fewer available job and school opportunities, and they often don’t have access to important services like interpreters or reliable internet connections, which are key for both communication and learning. This report is based on data from the 2018–2022 American Community Survey. NDC studied information from 12,181 deaf people, ages 16 to 24, who shared their experiences with education and employment.
Catch NDC’s Chase Burton Bringing Deaf Stories to Life at SXSW EDU
If you’re heading to SXSW EDU in a few weeks, get ready for an exciting session that brings the lived experiences of deaf people into the spotlight! On Tuesday, March 4th, from 4:30–5:00 PM CT, Chase Burton, Media Producer at the National Deaf Center (NDC), will take the stage at the Austin Convention Center (Room 13AB) to share the power of storytelling in advocacy through filmmaking.
Are Your Campus Emergency Plans Ready for Deaf Students?
Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere—and campuses across the country are seeing more and more crises. From gun violence and severe weather to health emergencies like COVID-19, these situations are becoming more common and often more dangerous. But here’s the problem: emergency plans often don’t include the needs of deaf students, leaving them at risk.
Celebrating Deaf Entrepreneurs During National Disability Employment Awareness Month
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
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
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?
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).
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!
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.
