Deaf Studies

Fifteen stories written by deaf/hard of hearing individuals who have had cochlear implants are told within the context of unique histories that are intimate, personal and moving. Readers will gain insight into the personal struggles, challenges, and benefits for those who made the decision to get a cochlear implant. The writers share their process over the decision to obtain an implant as well as the delights and disappointments in hearing with one.

Withstanding childhood poverty in a migrant farming family and an illness in 1943 at age 11 that left him profoundly deaf, Robert R. Davila persevered to become one of the first deaf persons in history to earn a doctorate. He did so at a time when interpreting in higher education had not yet become a professional support service. Davila worked unfailingly to achieve positions of stature as vice president of Gallaudet University, the president of three major deaf education organizations, and the seeming culmination of his career as the highest appointed deaf official ever in the U.S.

The publication of the Project Access Workshop Planner's Guide grew out of a seies of workshops and week-long Summer Institutes for faculty and support service coordinators held at RIT/NTID over a five-year period. The goal of this training is to improve existing teaching practice by enhancing access to instruction for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in mainstreamed classes. This set of materials can be used by practitioners to provide experiential workshops for instructors who teach deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Two professors - one deaf and one hearing - trace the long struggle to establish a much-needed technical college for deaf people in their book, From Dream to Reality: The National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Authors Harry Lang and Karen Conner both teach at RIT/NTID.

Through text and hundreds of photos, Lang and Conner uncover a rich history, describing the evolution of the college from the first charter class in 1968 to its current high-tech environment.