Grant Draws Deaf Students To Science

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf recently awarded the Ronald D. Dodge Memorial Grant to Sharon Rasmussen, a faculty member providing support in physics for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Rasmussen directs the project titled, Promoting Access for Deaf Students in College of Science Courses at Rochester Institute of Technology. This funding makes it possible for student assistants to mentor their deaf peers and work with faculty in RIT’s College of Science during the 2002-2003 academic year.

"After conducting classroom observations, these students will make suggestions to faculty regarding strategies for enhanced teaching, eliciting participation of deaf students and improving the class environment, through lighting, equipment placement, and seating arrangement," said Rasmussen.

Established by Mrs. Alberta B. Dodge in 1984 in memory of her husband, the Ronald D. Dodge Memorial Fund annually offers up to $1000 for faculty and staff to pursue research and development efforts that hold promise for increasing the teaching effectiveness of those engaged in the instruction of deaf RIT students.

The first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf and hard of hearing, NTID, one of eight colleges of RIT, offers educational programs and access and support services to 1,100 students from around the world who study, live, and socialize with 14,000 hearing students on the RIT campus.

Web address: www.rit.edu/NTID.

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