RIT/NTID, World Federation of the Deaf sign formal cooperation agreement

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Representatives from RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and the World Federation of the Deaf signed a formal cooperation agreement. Pictured, from left to right, are Gerry Buckley, NTID president; Kasper Bergmann, WFD vice president; and Joseph Murray, WFD president.

Representatives from Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and the World Federation of the Deaf have signed a formal cooperation agreement as a way to continue and strengthen the relationship between the world’s first and largest technological college for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and the global deaf rights organization. The signing, led by RIT/NTID President Gerry Buckley and WFD President Joseph Murray, took place at the 18th World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf held earlier this month in Paris. 

Details of the agreement include:

• Cooperation and collaboration regarding opportunities contributing to shared values, such as providing leadership and advocacy to deaf communities.
• Assisting in making connections and building relationships with national deaf associations for mutual grant opportunities.
• Exchanging information and best practices related to approaches in training and empowerment.
• Promoting the human rights of deaf people within the framework of the United Nations Human Rights system, paying particular attention to the UN Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Affirming commitments to full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by all UN member states. Both organizations note the importance of the implementation of the articles dealing with sign languages and professional sign language  interpreters.
• Commitment to sharing new research discoveries published by RIT/NTID faculty with WFD for broad dissemination including research on sign language interpreting and pedagogy, access technologies and employment.

“We are honored to be entering into this cooperation agreement with our friends from WFD who tirelessly work to improve the lives of people who are deaf throughout the world,” said Buckley. “We take this commitment seriously and look forward to strengthening our relationship as time goes on.”