FEATURE
CELEBRATING
50 YEARS
of Education and Opportunity BY SUSAN MURAD This summer, thousands of alumni, faculty, staff, family members and friends will gather in Rochester, New York, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)– the first and largest technological college in the world for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was an early and strong advocate for the establishment of a dedicated postsecondary school focused on marketable technical skills for deaf and hard-ofhearing individuals. In 1964, Congress was urged by leaders of the NAD and others to study the educational and employment status of deaf people. One report suggested that about 80 percent of deaf adults were
working in manual occupations, whereas only about 50 percent of the hearing population assumed those same types of positions. Shortly after, the House and Senate drafted bills recommending the establishment of a college tailored to the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students pursuing technical careers. The legislation was passed in both the House and the Senate in a record-setting 47 days. On June 8, 1965, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed Public Law 89-36, establishing the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
NADmag | Spring 2018
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