DeafTEC | Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

DeafTEC Shares Best Practices

DeafTEC offers professional development to teachers on best practices for improving access to learning in the classroom and strategies for teaching English and math to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Offered by DeafTEC regional partners in California, Florida, Illinois, and Texas, these workshops improve the access of deaf and hard-of-hearing students, as well as all students in the classroom, to STEM education and STEM careers. In three years, the 59 partner educators who received training through DeafTEC provided workshops to more than 1,000 high school and community college educators.

DeafTEC’s national dual-credit program offers creditbearing college courses to deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students. More than 50 high school teachers from 25 schools in 12 states have received DeafTEC instruction to teach STEM college-level courses. As a result, more than 500 deaf and hard-ofhearing students have earned 1,200 college credits.

DeafTEC’s Industry Partners Help to Open Doors to Deaf Employees

DeafTEC’s industry partners learn how to offer workshops on how deaf and hearing people can successfully work together. In three years, 20 workshops have been offered to 200-plus employees. These partners also offer career awareness activities and internship opportunities that will help deaf students transition from school to work.

DeafTEC Provides Valuable Resources

DeafTEC’s comprehensive online resources serve various national audiences with the goal of moving students into STEM programs and on to STEM careers. DeafTEC website resources

• provide employers with best strategies for integrating deaf individuals into the workplace;
• develop deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals’ math skills;
• incorporate writing into STEM classes;
• offer teachers best practices for instructing deaf students;
• supply teachers, counselors, parents, and students with STEM career information; and
• provide a standardized STEM American Sign Language (ASL) Video Dictionary.

Because of the high incidence of hearing impairments among veterans returning from military service, DeafTEC is also developing resources for community college instructors to address the unique academic challenges that student veterans with hearing loss confront in STEM programs.