RIT - NTID - NTID News - NTID Sets Enrollment Record

NTID Sets Enrollment Record

NTID News - October 9, 2008

NTID students from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. hold flags of their states to illustrate NTID's record enrollment. NTID President Alan Hurwitz (left) and RIT President Bill Destler hold the RIT flag. - Photo by Mark Benjamin, NTID

More educational options exist for deaf and hard-of-hearing students than ever before, yet the college destination of choice for a record number of students is the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology.

This year, NTID's enrollment is 1,450 students, shattering its record of 1,358 students in 1984. The previous record was the result of a high number of deaf children born to women in the mid-1960s who contracted rubella during their pregnancies. Enrollment has surpassed 1,000 since the early 1980s.

Last fall there were 1,343 NTID students - either enrolled in courses at NTID or who received access services from NTID while attending other colleges at RIT. Two math and two English teachers were hired this year to help accommodate the increased enrollment.

The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires colleges to provide access services to students as needed. But that can be challenging in areas with few qualified interpreters, captionists or note takers.

"The numbers are proof that RIT/NTID remains a popular option for deaf and hard-of-hearing students who desire a quality education," says NTID President Alan Hurwitz. "The continued success of our students speaks for itself."

Hurwitz says requirements to attend NTID were not lowered to allow more students; admission in some programs was even more restrictive this year. Hurwitz says applications to NTID remain strong, retention rates have improved in recent years and some programs have expanded to accommodate more students.

He also credits NTID's outreach programs for spreading the word about RIT/NTID. Historically, deaf students going to college often came from schools for the deaf. Today, most students come from mainstreamed schools. The college advertises and holds summer camps for middle and high school students to have them get a taste of college life. Many of those students end up attending RIT/NTID.

NTID was created by Congress in 1965 to offer technical education to college students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Its first class of 70 students arrived on the RIT campus in 1968.

This year's students come from every state in the U.S., as well as Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and several foreign countries including Bulgaria, China, India and Canada.

NTID's 1,450 students this year include 1,212 undergraduates, 103 graduate students and 135 hearing students in its sign language interpreting program, the oldest and largest interpreter training program in the country.

RIT/NTID employs 570 people; more than 120 of them are interpreters, who work in classrooms and attend events to ensure accessibility. Last year, 110,840 hours of interpreting were provided. In addition, 55 captionists provided 15,440 hours of service. Several dozen tutors and note takers are also available for students needing those services.

To commemorate the historic enrollment, NTID students from every state and Washington, D.C. joined Hurwitz and RIT President Bill Destler for a group photo.

The students holding flags representing their states are:

Steven Forney, Huntsville, Ala.; Chelsie Burgett, Anchorage, Alaska; Allison Anderson, Phoenix, Ariz.; Mitchell Nichols, Bentonville, Ark.; Kenny DeHaan, Sutter, Calif.; Bryan Leeper, Centennial, Colo.; Len Nguyen, Wethersfield, Conn.; Katherine Geller, Hockessin, Del.; Ashley Barber, Washington, D.C.; Caitlin Davis, Bradenton, Fla.; Ben Barnes, Duluth, Ga.; Michael Fujimori, Kaneohe, Hawaii; Megan Buckalew, Pocatello, Idaho; Carlos Barajas, Chicago, Ill.; Ruan Du Plessis, Indianapolis, Ind.; Dylan Heuer, Des Moines, Iowa; Moges Gembero, Shawnee, Kan.; Drew Musgrave, Paducah, Ky.; Lacee' Richard, Baton Rouge, La.; Ronald Boucher, Livermore Falls, Maine; Kara Andrade, Germantown, Md.; Richard Regan, Foxboro, Mass.; Christopher Samp, Rochester Hills, Mich.; Lauren Boehmke, Eden Prairie, Minn.; Angela Read, Oxford, Miss.; Mike Walsh, Fenton, Mo.; Stephen Kibbe, Clancy, Mont.; Alissa Haselhorst, Osmond, Neb.; Remy Glock, Reno, Nev.; Sunit Upadhyaya, Nashua, N.H.; Gina Banerjee, South River, N.J.; Thomas Mulligan, Santa Fe, N.M.; Johney Ragoobir, Ozone Park, N.Y.; Jackie Fields, Kannapolis, N.C.; Joseph Vetter, Minot, N.D.; Grace Kennedy, Cincinnati, Ohio; Brent Denham, El Reno, Okla.; Brenna DeBartolo, Salem. Ore.; Lori Craig, Souderton, Pa.; John Curtis, Providence, R.I.; Joseph Chavis, Lexington, S.C.; Amanda Barber, Onida, S.D.; Maneesha McIlwain, Knoxville, Tenn.; Alicia Wooten, San Antonio, Texas; Joe Coupal, Salt Lake City, Utah; Tucker Cox, Manchester, Vt.; Shannon Drummond, Yorktown, Va.; Seiji Franklin, Spokane, Wash.; Morgan Tucker, Weston, W.Va.; Michael Mendoza, Brookfield, Wis.; Will Roach, Big Horn, Wyo.