Deaf STEM Community Alliance: Supporting Postsecondary Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

The "Deaf STEM Community Alliance: Supporting Postsecondary Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in Science, Technology,Engineering and Mathematics," is led by the Rochester Institute of Technology's National Institute for the Deaf with two parterning institutions: Cornell University and Camden County Community College. This project's goal is to establish a model for a Virtual Academic Community that will increase graduation rates of Deaf and Hard of Hearing STEM majors in postsecondary education in the long term. Two objectives support progress toward this goal: 1) Document and disseminate a description of the process of creating the Virtual Academic Community in order to create a scalable model that can be replicated to fit the needs of other students with disabilities in STEM majors; and, 2) increasing the grade point averages and retention rates of Deaf and Hard of Hearing postsecondary students in STEM majors. An independent external evaluation of the work is being conducted by Dr. Babara Lee Gelesko McKee. Results from the work will be available to the public on the project website, at professional presentations and in professional journals.