NTID's Davila Named to Prestigious National Council

Dr. Robert R. Davila, CEO of the renowned National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, has been appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the National Council on Disability.

The National Council on Disability is an independent federal agency that makes recommendations to the President and Congress about issues affecting 54 million Americans with disabilities.

Davila, who has dedicated his 50-year career to disability advocacy, will begin service next month, working with 14 other NCD members to continue studying the implementation and enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws, among other projects.

In 1989, President George Bush appointed Davila to the position of assistant secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. He is the first and only deaf person to hold this coveted post.

Davila has earned recognition as a leader and innovative educator through years of persistence and dedication directing national programs and causing positive change for people with disabilities. He managed a $5 billion budget to support special education and vocational rehabilitation programs, monitored states for compliance, improved parent and family education and prioritized key programs.

The first deaf leader of NTID, Davila has effected new educational policies, significant scholarship funds, as well as enhanced technology, research and support programs.

He has traveled and presented to governments and education leaders around the world, inspiring deaf and hearing people wherever he goes.

Davila holds his B.A. in Education from Gallaudet University, an M.S. in Special Education from Hunter College and a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from Syracuse University.

NTID was established at RIT to enhance career opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Over the past 35 years, thousands of highly qualified deaf graduates have entered professions that previously had not been open to them.

Web address: www.rit.edu/NTID.