NTID Study Abroad Programs
Become a Global Citizen
Study abroad experiences can play an important part in shaping the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing young adults. RIT/NTID students are encouraged to participate in a study abroad experience before they graduate.
A study abroad experience offers many benefits, including:
- Earning credits toward your degree while immersing yourself in a new culture
- Learning a new language or perfecting a second language
- Expanding cultural awareness and increasing self-confidence
- Strengthening your identity in a global society
- Developing a global vision that will enhance your marketability
Employers want real-world experience. Since studying abroad helps you to acquire international skills and global understanding, your ability to look at things from different points of view will be a valuable asset to employers.
Short-Term Faculty-Led Programs
RIT/NTID offers several opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing students as well as students enrolled in the American Sign Language-English Interpretation program and the Master of Science program in Secondary Education to travel in a group with an RIT/NTID faculty member. As part of the study abroad experience, you will be registered for a course(s) taught by that faculty member. The overseas excursions are typically held during the summer session or intersession term. Study abroad programs are distinguished by their thorough preparation and total immersion of students in the academic and cultural opportunities at each destination.
During this program, students will learn Russian Sign Language and Culture from an NTID faculty member and local deaf tour guides. RIT/NTID students have the opportunity to meet with deaf people in various settings including Russian schools, associations, theater and government as well as visit notable historic sites in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Students will enroll in a 3-credit spring semester course which culminates in a two-week study tour to Russia.
Contact NTID staff member Regina Kiperman-Kiselgof at reknod@rit.edu for more information.
In this program, students will experience Deaf Studies in France, including the Deaf community, language, culture and history. France is an ideal location because it has a large deaf population and a rich history of deaf education and rights. Excursions include visits to the La Balme-les-Grottes (Laurent Clerc's birthplace and museum and the Caves of La Balme), Louhans (Ferdinand Berthier's birthplace and museum), Lyons (Roman architecture - water aqueduct), Rouen (religion, historical sites), Rheims, (bi-annual festival of Deaf arts), the Versailles (1700s French royalty). Students will enroll in a 3-credit spring semester course which culminates in a two-week study tour to France in early summer.
Contact NTID faculty member Christopher Kurz at caknsp@rit.edu or Lisa Johnston at ljjnss@rit.edu for more information.
During this program, students will interact with Japanese deaf students at the National Tsukuba University of Technology and participate in excursions to well-known attractions in Tokyo, Kamakura, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. RIT/NTID students have the opportunity to experience local culture and traditions such as a traditional tea ceremony and sushi making. Students will enroll in a 3-credit spring semester course which culminates in a two week study tour to Japan in early summer.
Check out the blog post by RIT/NTID students who visited Japan.
Contact NTID faculty member Scot Atkins at wsanbt@rit.edu for more information.
This program includes a three-credit fall semester course that culminates in a two-week excursion to Chile during the January intersession.
Students will go to work with the deaf community, including deaf educators and organizations that assist deaf people, to gain insight into the current situation of deaf people in Chile and to assist these groups with community improvement efforts.
Students will learn about Chilean history, politics, laws, social situations and education, especially as it relates to the deaf community. Students also will acquire basic skills in both written Spanish and Chilean Sign Language.
This program provides deaf and hard-of-hearing students the opportunity to learn about the unique historical, geographical, economic, social and political conditions in Costa Rica as well as about factors that shape the relationship between Costa Rica and its deaf community. This overseas program is made up of two, three-credit semester courses and the overseas trip.
RIT/NTID students iwill interact with the Costa Rican deaf community in San Jose and learn about the history of Costa Rica. They will visit and meet students and faculty at schools for the deaf and members of associations of the deaf; engage in discussions with Costa Rican community leaders about various issues; and learn about biodiversity in Costa Rica by visiting a rain forest, cloud forest, beaches, waterfalls and national parks. Students will be fully immersed in the language and cultural practices of Costa Rica.
Contact NTID faculty member J. Matt Searls for more information.
This program is part of a 3-credit course that students will take during the summer in South Korea. The study abroad program will start in Seoul with a visit to the nearby DMZ location designed for tourists, and then to the South Korean Association for the Deaf and schools for the Deaf. Several historical site visits will be included such as the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace and the National Museum of Korea. After leaving Seoul, students will go to Gyeongju, a city of cultural heritage as well as a few sites of interest. After Gyeongju, students will travel to Busan by train and will visit the Busan Deaf Association, the Gamcheon Culture Village, Jagalchi Fish Market and beaches.
Contact NTID faculty directors Chris Kurz at caknsp@rit.edu or Song Hoa Choi at shcntm@rit.edu for more information.
In addition to these faculty-led programs, RIT offers additional opportunities to make a meaningful international experience a part of your RIT/NTID education. Check out RIT study abroad programs.
For more information on RIT/NTID study abroad programs, contact:
Thomastine Sarchet, NTID Study Abroad Liaison for RIT