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

A person writes in a notebook with a pencil beside a tablet with a keyboard case, a cup, and other office supplies on a desk in natural light.

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

Two students sitting indoors, reviewing papers together. Both are wearing glasses and casual clothes, appearing focused. The background has tables and chairs, and abstract green and blue shapes are on the left side of the image.

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

Illustration of diverse women with various skin tones, hair colors, and hairstyles standing together. Each wears a colorful top, and their facial features are stylized and minimalistic on a white background.

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

Five young adults sit and laugh together in front of a tent at a campsite, with a campfire in the foreground and trees in the background.

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.

Unlocking Insights: Exploring Deaf Data with State Reports

Three document pages titled Postsecondary Achievement of Deaf People in Texas: 2018-2022 feature graphs, charts, the NDC logo, and text discussing outcomes and statistics for deaf students in Texas.

NDC is thrilled to reveal that we’ve updated our State Reports! With the click of a link, you can view and download updated data and gain new insights into the lives and experiences of deaf people in any state across the country.

Partnerships to Improve Employment for Deaf Youth

A group of people placing their hands together in the center of a table, symbolizing teamwork. A laptop, notepad, and pens are visible on the wooden table. Photo is taken from above.

Employment rates for deaf people have not improved since 2008, and we want to change that. NDC has received additional Rehabilitation Services Administration funding to support the development of innovative employment partnerships that increase job opportunities for deaf people.

Video Remote Interpreting: Can it Benefit Your Institution?

A smiling older man with gray hair sits at a desk, making a hand gesture while looking at a laptop. There are plants and shelves with books in the background.

What is Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)? VRI is a helpful tool for effective communication that works by connecting deaf individuals with interpreters through video calls when in-person interpreters are not available. In a nutshell, VRI works by leveraging video calls to ensure that everyone gets their message across, no matter the circumstances. With that in mind, let’s explore how VRI can be a standout tool for your institution.

Aurora University’s Path Toward Supporting Deaf Students’ Success

Three young adults stand together indoors. One person is signing with their hand while holding a notebook, and the other two people are attentively looking at the notebook and listening.

Are you single-handedly managing service provision for students with disabilities on your campus? Whether your student population is big or small, ensuring that all students get access to the high-quality services they need to thrive on campus is no easy feat. When people say, “it takes a village,” it really does! That’s why we’re excited to feature one of our campus partners at Aurora University that is leveraging the power of partnerships and relationships for capacity-building.

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National Deaf Center