Gallaudet University For The Deaf

Here is the final instalment of our 3 part mini-series of blogs on highly regarded institutes focused on bringing deaf people the highest possible quality of education!


University

University. That word, it’s enough to unsettle any student.


What university do I go to?

What subject do I study?

Am I ready to leave home?

Do I really want student loans and debts?

Do I even want to go to university?


Those are just a handful of the questions any student will ask themselves when deciding the next stage of their education and life. It’s a hard decision, leading many people to change subjects or drop out entirely eventually.

Universities can vary from big or small in size and student numbers. You may be able to sleep on sight, or you may have to share somewhere else. The city or town may be just your cup of tea, or it may get you down; there is nothing quite like “home”. The number of things that need to be considered and subsequently changed when attending university is enormous. It’s enough to make even the toughest nut crack.

So, taking all that into consideration and now and the fact that you’re deaf and university can seem like an impossible challenge. I admire any deaf student deciding to undertake university; I couldn’t hack it as a hearing person. Trust me; I am not mocking nor praising you but simply pointing out that going to university is a tough decision for anyone. Any deaf student that decides to go for it and educationally succeeds is a true inspiration. Well, we want more of those people with that attitude in the world!


Gallaudet University

So we just briefly went through the possible questions and challenges of attending university, but now we need a university to go to!

Introducing Gallaudet University:

Located in Washington, D.C., Gallaudet University is the world leader in liberal education and career development for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The University enjoys a pristine international reputation for its outstanding programmes and the research undertaken on the history, language, culture and other areas that relate to the Deaf community.

It is a private university but was originally a grammar school for both deaf and blind children.  Gallaudet was the first school for the advanced education of the Deaf and hard of hearing students in the world and, to this day, remains the only higher education institution in which all programmes and services are specifically designed to accommodate Deaf and hard of hearing students.

The university also offers American Sign Language (ASL) classes for people with varying knowledge and are also open to the public.


They also offer services such as:

  • An Assistive Devices Centre
  • Audiologic evaluation
  • Aural rehabilitation
  • Cochlear implant services
  • Hearing aid services
  • Speech reading classes
  • Speech-language pathology service

The Centre also provides counselling services for its students and the deaf community. The university also contains a library which welcomes visitors and researchers and hosts the world’s largest collection of deaf-related materials and the university archives.


Alumni

Gallaudet University has more than 21,000 alumni from around the world. The Gallaudet University Alumni Association, organized in 1889, has 53 chapters.

According to a survey conducted by the University, 97% of the Gallaudet undergraduate student respondents who graduated between December 2011 and August 2012 are either employed or furthering their education. 98% of the survey respondents who graduated with graduate degrees during the same time frame are employed or furthering their education.

During the same period, 76% of the MSSD (Model Secondary School for the Deaf) graduates were in advanced education or training programmes within one year following graduation.


Athletics

Gallaudet is a member of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division III and the North Eastern Athletic Conference.

The teams that play in the North Eastern Athletic Conference are the men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, and soccer teams, along with the baseball, softball, and volleyball teams.

However, the Gallaudet football team plays in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. In addition to the football team, which plays in a different conference than most sports at Gallaudet, the men’s and women’s swimming teams, as well as the men’s and women’s track and field teams, compete as independents.

The Bison (the universities’ nickname, named after their mascot) compete in baseball, basketball, cross-country running, football, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. Their colours are buff and blue, which were chosen after Union soldiers’ uniforms in the Civil War.

Gallaudet University has a whole website dedicated to its athletic teams.


Experience

It’s all good doing a bit of research and talking about said university, but with no real-life experience to fall back on, this blog could all be discredited. So we’ve managed to search the web for an account of someone’s first impressions and real-life experiences at the university. Have a read for yourself:

http://deafunity.org/article-interview/first-impressions-of-gallaudet-university/


We here at terptree hope you have enjoyed our mini blog series on educational institutes for the Deaf, and who knows, maybe this has helped you to decide your next choice in education or can help benefit someone you know.


Thank you for reading, and hope you have a nice day.