The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (**NTID**) was created by Congress in 1965 to promote the employment of persons who are deaf by providing technical and professional education for the Nation’s young people who are deaf. The National Technical Institute for the Deaf Act was superseded by the *Education of the Deaf Act* of 1986 (*EDA*). This *Act* continued the authority of the Department of Education to contract with the host institution and provide a federal subsidy to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf so that it may continue to provide postsecondary educational opportunities for individual who are deaf.

The Department maintains a contract with the Rochester Institute of Technology (**RIT**) for the operation of a residential facility for postsecondary technical training and education for individuals who are deaf. The purpose of the special relationship with the host institution is to provide NTID and its students access to more facilities, institutional services and career preparation options than could be otherwise provided by a national technical institute for the deaf standing alone. RIT provides NTID students with options for courses of study from seven other colleges; health and counseling services; library, physical education and recreation facilities; and general services such as food, maintenance, grounds and security.

NTID offers a variety of technical programs at the certificate, diploma and associate degree levels. Degree programs include majors in business, engineering, science and visual communications. In addition, NTID students may participate in approximately 200 educational programs available through the RIT. RIT offers advanced technological courses of study at the undergraduate and graduate degree levels. NTID initiated a master’s degree program of its own in fiscal year 1996 to train secondary education teachers who will be teaching students who are deaf. Students enrolled in the program, who can be deaf or hearing, are charged the same tuition as students enrolled in other NTID programs, plus a graduate student tuition surcharge of 10 percent. The Institute also operates a Bachelor program in American Sign Language-English Interpretation to train interpreters for persons who are deaf. Students who are deaf who enroll in NTID or RIT programs are provided a wide range of support services and special programs to assist them in preparing for their careers, including tutoring, counseling, notetaking, interpreting, specialized educational media, cooperative work experience and specialized job placement.

NTID conducts applied research in occupational and employment-related aspects of deafness, communication assessment, the demographics of NTID’s target population, and learning processes in postsecondary education. In addition, NTID conducts training workshops and seminars related to deafness. These workshops and seminars are offered to professionals throughout the nation who employ, work with, teach or otherwise serve persons who are deaf.

### Links: 

**National Technical Institute for the Deaf's Program Site**

**National Technical Institute for the Deaf's Website**

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