DEAF CULTURE TODAY
Dr. Gail Mellow, President of LaGuardia Community College (far left) applauds students at graduation as NEDP graduates Pamela Manzueta and Channel Arthur (far right) cheer on.
Program for Deaf Adults at LaGuardia Community College INTERVIEW BY NAD INTERN SHIRLEY SHANNON There are many National External Diploma Program sites over the U.S., but there is only one that serves the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The interview below is with Pacts Cartagna and Sasha L. Ponappa who work at the Program for Deaf Adults (PDA) at LaGuardia Community College (”LaGuardia”), which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY). PDA at LaGuardia is one of the country’s largest programs for deaf and deaf-related postsecondary educational and support services. The program offers Adult Basic Education (ABE) and High School Equivalency (HSE) classes. PDA assists Associate degree students with improving their language and academic skills and with obtaining support services, such as: academic advisement, interpreting services, captioning, tutoring, and other accommodations. PDA also accepts students who want to begin a career as an ASL-English interpreter into its ASL-English Interpretation Program (AEIP). NADmag | Spring 2018
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