The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is the planning for the development of a resource center, the Center for Advancing Technological Education for the Deaf (CATED). The goal of this center is to increase the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing (deaf/hh) technicians entering the high-technology fields. The center will serve as a resource for deaf/hh students, adults, and the high schools and community colleges that serve them by providing: 1. An on-line clearinghouse for career information on STEM-related technician programs (including, but not limited to, the fields of engineering, information technology, computer-assisted precision machining, computer-aided drafting, digital imaging and laboratory science) and best teaching practices targeted specifically for deaf/hh students in high schools and community colleges, and information on working successfully with deaf/hh technicians for employers and co-workers. 2. A virtual community of both mentors and peers for deaf/hh students and professionals in STEM-related technical programs and technician careers. 3. Community college partnerships that include professional development and faculty-in-residence and/or exchange programs to help community college faculty improve the success of their deaf/hh students. 4. Expansion of the ATE-funded Project Fast Forward: Pathway to an IT Education for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Student to other technical disciplines and to more high schools, including public high schools with isolated mainstreamed deaf students, and creating agreements with local community colleges to accept the RIT/NTID credit. 5. Expansion of the ATE-funded Deaf Initiative in Information Technology project to provide training through distance learning technology for deaf/hh professionals in STEM-related technician fields.
The PIs are visiting several existing ATE Centers to determine the best organizational structure and budget requirements for a Center. Evaluation of career awareness material and determination of how targeted material can be developed; investigation of web portal development that supports the virtual learning community and the delivery of dual credit courses and DIIT workshops through distance learning; and development of partnerships for collecting and sharing materials, providing career information, and for mentoring, training, and networking are part of the planning process..
