Center: DeafTEC Resource Center Renewal Grant

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

Although progress has been made, people with disabilities continue to be employed at rates much lower than the rest of the population. This lower employment rate is especially true of Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). The most recent available data from 2019 shows 44% of deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) people have opted out of the labor force, at more than double the rate for the general population (21%). College graduation can provide major economic benefits for D/HH individuals who have the potential to earn 67% more than non-college graduates. Being employed in STEM provides an even greater benefit, since D/HH individuals in STEM occupations earn 24% more than their peers in non-STEM fields. The ATE Technological Education Center for D/HH Students, DeafTEC, works to increase the access of D/HH individuals to career information, to technician education, and to gainful employment. The goal of DeafTEC is to increase the number of D/HH individuals in highly skilled technician jobs in which there continues to be underrepresentation and underutilization of these individuals in the workplace. The DeafTEC Resource Center will continue to build on and utilize the exemplary materials and network that have been developed as well as achieve sustainability and institutionalization of our key functions. The Center will: (1) leverage partnerships to broaden professional development opportunities onsite and online for high school teachers, community college faculty, and employers to improve access to learning and technician employment for D/HH students; (2) expand, enhance, and broadly distribute DeafTEC’s innovative online resources available through its website that serves as a national resources for teaching D/HH students and military student veterans with hearing loss in technician education programs; and (3) collaborate with PIs of current ATE projects and centers on creating inclusive environments for D/HH students and student veterans with hearing loss. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.