NTID’s DeafTEC receives $1.6 million grant renewal

The DeafTEC program at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf has received a renewal grant for $1.6 million to continue its work serving as a resource for high schools and community colleges that educate deaf and hard-of-hearing students in STEM-related programs and for employers hiring deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. With a focus on STEM technician education, the program is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education National Center of Excellence.

For the past 10 years, DeafTEC has received funding totaling more than $11 million, with an additional $870,383 of funding for other projects under the DeafTEC umbrella. The program will officially end in 2026, as it transitions to an expanded and restructured NTID Regional STEM Center. Regional STEM Center activities focus on preparing middle- and high-school deaf and hard-of-hearing students to be successful in STEM by providing professional development for middle- and high-school teachers, access to service providers and vocational rehabilitation personnel, and developing relationships with business and industry to promote employment opportunities.