4 minute read
Increasing Access to Educational Opportunities for Deaf People
BY CARRIE LOU GARBEROGLIO
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Learning is a part of who we are. People learn for many reasons… to gain new skills, to challenge ourselves, to explore personal interests, or to advance professionally. Learning can happen every day, inside or outside of classrooms.
If learning can happen outside of the classroom, why should we consider getting formal education and training? This is an important question to ask when we think about all the challenges that deaf people face when navigating the school system. Is tutoring available, and accessible? Who pays for interpreters for private schools or training programs? Are qualified interpreters available in our area? Are social opportunities accessible? Each deaf student must overcome many challenges in secondary and postsecondary settings. These challenges happen more often for deaf students with diverse backgrounds. Is getting a degree or certificate worth the blood, sweat, and tears?
An analysis of national employment data for deaf people shows that, yes, it is worth it to get those degrees and certificates. In the United States, around half of deaf people do not have a job (Garberoglio, Cawthon & Bond, 2016). However, we know that
employment rates in the deaf community are higher for deaf people who have higher levels of education and training. Recent data shows that only 28% of deaf people without a high school degree had a job, while 65% of deaf people with a bachelor’s degree had a job. Average annual earnings are also higher among deaf people with higher levels of education and training.
The overall employment gap between deaf and hearing individuals is around 24%, and the gap narrows as educational attainment increases (figure 1). Continuing education after high school may give deaf people an advantage that is needed in order to be more competitive with hearing people in the workplace. Greater access to educational opportunities for deaf people go a long way towards increasing representation of successful deaf people in the workforce who can then serve as role models and mentors for future generations of deaf youth. At the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes, we are working to narrow these employment gaps by pushing for greater access to educational opportunities for deaf people in the United States and its territories. In order to do so, we must first understand where we are, and where we need to go. How many deaf people are completing high school degrees and beyond? Who is falling behind, and why? How can we work together to change that?
High School Completion
Completing high school is important in order to get a job. Only 28% of deaf people without a high school degree have a job, compared to 45% of those who have a high school degree. This is a large jump in employment rates. Overall high school completion rates for deaf people are slightly lower than for hearing people, but most deaf people in the
United States complete high school (Garberoglio, Cawthon, & Sales, 2017). However, from 2008 to 2016, high school completion rates have increased at a significantly greater pace for deaf people than for hearing people.
High school completion rates for deaf people look good, with steady increases in completion over time. Yet, a closer look at the data reveals lower high school completion rates among deaf people of color and deafdisabled people (figure 2). Deaf people with additional disabilities are twice as likely to not complete high school than deaf people without additional disabilities.
Bachelor’s Degree Completion
In general, completing any kind of degree contributes to a jump in employment rates, with 65% of deaf individuals with bachelor’s degrees having a job. Bachelor’s degree completion rates for deaf people have steadily increased from 2008 to 2016. However, fewer deaf people complete bachelor’s degrees (18%) compared to hearing people (33%). It is also important to mention that bachelor’s degree completion rates are lower among deaf people of color and deafdisabled people (Garberoglio et al., 2017). Only 12% of deafdisabled people have completed a bachelor’s degree.
REFERENCES Garberoglio, C.L., Cawthon, S., & Bond, M. (2016). Deaf People and Employment in the United States: 2016. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes.
How Can We Work Together?
We know that education is important for deaf people. Education and training give us an extra edge that is needed to be competitive in increasingly complex and demanding work environments. Yet, barriers and challenges continue in educational settings, especially for deaf people of color and deafdisabled people. No one person can change the system. We must all work together to increase access to educational opportunities for deaf people.
How can we work together? At the National Deaf Center, we believe change must happen on all levels of the system. Look around you. Who can you connect with on the local level? On the state level? On the national level? We all have connections and networks that we can tap into to strengthen access to educational opportunities for deaf people. Have those conversations. Build those relationships. Ask the hard questions. Expect more. Don’t settle for less. Together, we can move that needle.
Carrie Lou Garberoglio is the Associate Director of the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes.
Please visit us at nationaldeafcenter.org for current data reports, ASL videos, and many more resources for deaf people, their families, and professionals who serve them. Ask questions at help@nationaldeafcenter.org. Follow us at facebook.com/nationaldeafcenter, instagram.com/ nationaldeafcenter, or twitter.com/nationaldeafctr.
