NTID Co-op and Career Center

The NTID Co-op and Career Center hosted the 25th annual NTID Career Fair on October 7, 2026. A total of 26 employers participated in the event, with many sending RIT/NTID alums to represent their companies. Participating companies were:

• ACCES-VR
• AeroSafe Global
• Center for Disability Rights
• Defense Finance and Accounting Service
• Dow
• General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works
• Honeywell Technologies
• Jabil
• James Madison University
• Laurent Clerc National Education Center
• Monroe County
• NY Water Science Center
• NYS Department of Civil Service
• NYS Department of Health
• NYS Department of Labor
• NYS Department of Public Service
• NYS Office of General Services
• PNC Financial Services Group
• RTX
• Sandia National Laboratories
• Sorenson Communications
• The Learning Center for the Deaf
• Tobyhanna Army Depot
• US Steel
• Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
• ZP Better Together

Liberal Studies

Faculty for Food Security was first established last fall by Frances Cooley, DLS, and Lilia Rissman in Psychology, stemming from several conversations about frustration related to one of our community’s most important needs: access to healthy and affordable food. Together, Cooley and Rissman applied for and received a small AdvanceRIT grant for Spring and Fall 2026 to establish the Faculty for Food Security group. Their primary goal was to bring RIT and the greater Rochester community together to determine the food-related needs of our community and determine specific gaps that faculty can help fill. So far, they have identified stakeholders and partners, including the Rochester Deaf Kitchen and community groups involved with community farming. This fall, they hosted a workshop to bring these stakeholders to campus and hope to host additional events to get people involved before they transition to developing action items and concrete plans to fill the gaps identified.

ASLIE

The BS in ASL-English Interpretation (BSI) program recently appointed Dr. Jeni Rodrigues as program director. She brings a strong background in interpreter education, anti-racist pedagogy, and supporting disabled and neurodivergent students. In this role, she will provide leadership for the BSI program, including curriculum, student support, and admissions.

We are also pleased to welcome Justin Kittredge as the new ASLIE program support coordinator, succeeding Bre Haywood in this role.

We’re thrilled to have Jeni and Justin in these roles and look forward to their contributions to ASLIE’s students, faculty, and mission. Please join us in welcoming them!

Business Studies

NTID Business Studies hosted the inaugural Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing CPAs Summit September 18–20 at RIT/NTID. The historic gathering was led by Michael Kane, principal lecturer in the NTID Business Studies Department, with support from Allison Higgins, NTID human resources coordinator. Nineteen deaf and hard-of-hearing certified public accountants (CPAs) from across the United States attended. The summit achieved three goals: creating networking opportunities for CPAs, many of whom were meeting one another for the first time; providing one-on-one mentoring between each CPA and a deaf or hard-of-hearing business student; and establishing a new nonprofit organization for and by deaf and hard-of-hearing CPAs. Twelve students—10 from RIT/NTID and two from Gallaudet University—participated in the summit, receiving individual guidance from CPAs and engaging in networking opportunities. Major sponsors included NTID Professional and Student Scholar Development, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), and Gallaudet University. Additional sponsors included the American Institute of Certified Professional Accountants, Saunders College of Business, the Dr. Frank B. Sullivan Memorial Foundation, and Lived Places Publishing. The three-day program featured brainstorming sessions, a panel discussion, four presentations, a tour of the RIT campus, and six networking meals. Special guests included NTID President Caroline M. Solomon, NTID Dean Flavia S. Fleischer, CSD CEO Chris Soukup, and Associate Professor Scot Atkins. One significant outcome was the creation of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Society of Accounting and Financial Professionals, whose mission is to advance and strengthen deaf and hard-of-hearing accounting and finance professionals through education, advocacy, and networking.

CPA Summit attendees

Communication Studies and Services

Dr. Catherine Clark traveled to Ethiopia with staff and RIT/NTID alums from The Learning Center for the Deaf in Framingham, Massachusetts. She delivered donated hearing aids from NTID colleagues and hearing aid manufacturers, trained new staff at the Dr. Catherine Clark Center for Audiology Support, provided audiology services to children and adults, and collaborated with local ENT physicians. The trip also included opportunities to connect with the Deaf community and further develop her Ethiopian Sign Language skills.

This past summer, Bonnie Bastian accepted the invite for CATCH (CSS Accessibility Tech Consulting Hours) to present accessibility tech resources during the quarterly meeting of the Central New York ADA/504 Coordinators Network, a group of university coordinators responsible for ADA/504 compliance to support employees within their respective universities. CATCH was invited by RIT’s Lori Sykes, a member of this CNY ADA group. Universities represented included Cornell, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Oswego, Syracuse, Ithaca, Hobart and William Smith, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and others.

This summer, CSS sent two representatives again to the middle and high school aged Listen CI Family Camp. Bonnie Bastian and Kristen Starin led three escape room team builders for three groups of students vs. their parents, presented CATCH-inspired accessibility resources during a breakout session, and exhibited to represent NTID and recruit potential future RIT tigers from the CI students and their families in attendance at this camp session. Our Access Tools CATCH presentation was then shared with the Listen CI Camp database of 700+ primary contacts. After three summers, the investment seems to be paying off as more families had knowledge of RIT/NTID and were not surprised to see us at their camp. One student in attendance is enrolled at RIT/NTID this fall, and 26 parents signed up to receive follow-up information and outreach from various NTID departments and initiatives.

Performing Arts 

The NTID Performing Arts department presents the play “Clue,” a high-energy murder mystery/comedy that feels like an episode of Scooby-Doo mixed with a vintage dinner party from hell. Six guests are invited to a dinner party where they are blackmailed by their host, who ends up murdered. The play follows the guests attempting to identify the killer. Who did it? How? And where?

Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, written by Sandy Rustin, directed by JW Guido, assistant directed and voice coaching by Gabi Nocciolino. Performances are November 6-8 in the Robert F. Panara Theatre. Purchase tickets online.

Visual Communications Studies

VCS faculty artist Laural Hartman recently completed Hollyhock, a large-scale mural displayed along Gallaudet University’s Gallaudet Mall. Created for the construction fencing surrounding the renovation of the R.I. Heberle Library, the mural adds an engaging artistic presence to the campus during the construction project. 

The mural takes its name from the hollyhock flower, which Hartman selected for its association with resilience and its connection to the Washington, D.C., landscape. The work also incorporates a quotation from botanical illustrator Regina Olsen Hughes, a Gallaudet alum, adding another connection to the university’s history.

Hartman also created two additional murals for the 2025 Deaf Way Film Festival at Gallaudet’s Elstad Auditorium. One features four panels incorporating Gallaudet’s campus, Washington, D.C., and imagery related to theater and performance. A second two-panel work in the auditorium lobby uses color and imagery to connect Gallaudet University with the surrounding city.

Hartman’s murals showcase her distinctive artistic perspective while creating a strong visual connection between art, place, and community.

Learn more about Laural Hartman’s work. 

Photo credit: Andrea Zuchegno (top), Tabitha Jacques (bottom).

NTID Center for Workforce Development

Linda Bryant, director of NTID’s Center for Workforce Development, was invited to present at RIT Certified’s Inaugural Skills Summit on Sept. 29. Her Partner Spotlight presentation, “When Communication is No Longer the Barrier: AI, DHH Talent, and the Future of Work,” demonstrated how technology and AI supports both employers and deaf and hard-of-hearing job seekers.

Linda Bryant and Jim Mallory presented at the NYATEP Fall 2026 Conference in Albany. Their workshop, “Beyond Access: Building Employer-Informed Career Pathways for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Talent,” and Lightning Talk, “The Talent You May Be Missing: Rethinking Disability in Workforce Development,” were delivered in Oct 5-7.