Psychology alum travels to Ethiopia to support Deaf students’ access to education and literacy

Limited literacy and educational resources are global issues facing Deaf youths in developing countries. Last August, RIT/NTID alum Erica Israel ’11 (psychology), ’14 (school psychology) joined an annual trip with Visions Global Empowerment (VGE) to Ethiopia with a mission to help ensure that Deaf children gain access to language, community, and education. 

An estimated 5 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals face many challenges, including barriers to education, employment, and social inclusion. Israel was inspired by VGE’s efforts to improve access to education and well-being for Deaf populations significantly affected by discrimination—specifically gender inequities and disabilities. 

“I had initially heard about the non-profit organization, Visions Global Empowerment, from my colleague who introduced me to their organization,” Israel said. “While they have several projects in different countries, their work at Visions Academy School for the Deaf in Hawassa, Ethiopia, caught my attention for obvious reasons.”

Israel, a native of Framingham, Massachusetts, who works as a school psychologist at the Learning Center for the Deaf, is an advisory board member for VGE. Since joining the organization in 2024, she has traveled to Ethiopia several times to support educational initiatives for Deaf youths. 

In her role, she provides advice and support for all of the projects in which the organization is involved. Israel also supports programs at the Visions Academy for the Deaf in Ethiopia, where she works with Deaf students, provides professional development for local teachers, and participates in fundraising efforts. 

She recognized that in developing countries, systemic discrimination prevents Deaf individuals from pursuing higher education or essential development opportunities. To address the stigma surrounding deafness or disability, she collaborated with staff on projects to break barriers through community-based education, empowerment, and advocacy to uplift Deaf youths.

Through her professional lens as a psychologist, Israel observed that the two most important variables for optimizing a Deaf child’s development are access to language and sufficient time to learn and interact through language. She said she was impressed with students’ language skills and their ability to interact with one another at Visions Academy School for the Deaf. 

She said that visiting and learning about the Deaf communities in Ethiopia was a deeply humbling and eye-opening experience for her. 

“The world is a much bigger place than I’d ever imagined,” she explained. “It is one thing to see pictures and videos of communities in different parts of the world; however, it is an entirely a different thing to experience their food, culture and everyday life in person. I especially loved listening to their stories as Deaf individuals growing up in Ethiopia.” 

Another dedicated volunteer is Dr. Catherine Clark, a faculty professor and audiologist at RIT/NTID, who also made a recent trip to Ethiopia to provide free audiological services for Deaf and hard-of-hearing. In honor of her decades of commitment as a volunteer, VGE launched The Dr. Catherine Clark Center for Audiology at the Visions Center for the Deaf in Hawassa, a clinic that offers access to services to deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the region. 

Previously, RIT/NTID alums and staff have participated in these volunteer trips through VGE’s partnerships with RIT and Nazareth College. 

“I’d love to give a ROAR to all of the RIT/NTID alums and staff who have participated in past Deaf Education trips to Ethiopia and would like to encourage more people from the RIT/NTID community to get involved!” 

In partnership with TLC Global Deaf Foundation, VGE established a library and computer lab at Visions Academy in honor of Ben Hollingsworth, a former RIT/NTID student who passed away in 2016. With generous support from Hollingsworth’s family, friends, and TLC Global, the goal of the library is to support literacy development for Deaf children in a region where educational resources have been scarce. 

According to Israel, Visions Academy plans to acquire land and to build a permanent location for its school, where she hopes that every Deaf child, no matter where they live, will have the opportunity to access education and literacy.  

This is such an exciting next step for them,” she said. “I am hopeful that the organizations that I am affiliated with, Visions Global Empowerment and TLC Global, will continue to support them in the years to come. Since Visions Academy School for the Deaf has grown to this capacity, this has inspired these organizations to explore other possibilities!” 

She would like RIT/NTID alumni, staff, students and the broader community to know that they can travel the world and make a difference in the lives of Deaf youth globally through meaningful contributions. She also noted that even a small contribution can have a significant and long-lasting impact on Deaf communities in Ethiopia. 

Individuals interested in volunteering with VGE can visit their website to learn more about how to get involved.