Department of Education, U.S.

The federal government has been involved in enhancing educational opportunities for deaf children since 1965 when Congress created the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Further educational enhancements were instituted with passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) of 1975, and the Education of Deaf Act of 1986. These and subsequent laws concerning education for the Deaf have ensured that young members of the Deaf community have access to a free, appropriate public education in the least possible restrictive environment. Located within the United States Department of Education, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is charged with improving the educational experience for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with special needs. This charge is carried out by providing financial support to states and local districts, which are directly responsible for education in the United States. Institutions of higher learning and [Page 299]nonprofit organizations working with deaf students may receive either formula or discretionary grants from OSEP. There are three types of formula grants available. The first formula applies to programs established to meet the needs of deaf students from ages 3 to 21, the second to children between the ages of 3 and 5, and the third to children from birth to age 2 and their families. Discretionary grants are competitive grants that help to fund particular programs such as improving services or technologies for Deaf students.

Since passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 2004, OSEP has been involved in providing technical assistance and dissemination, demonstrations, research, technology, and personal development to deaf individuals from birth to 21. OSEP also offers free information and assistance to parents of deaf children through Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI), which have been established in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Special services are available at each center to meet the needs of non–English speaking parents. OSEP has also established 30 Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRC) to meet the needs of underserved communities.

Deaf students have the right to a free and appropriate public education, and this right requires state and local governments to provide an individualized educational program (IEP) designed to meet the specific needs of each student in the least restrictive environment. When designing these programs, governments are required to take all aspects of a student’s needs into account, including the student’s communication needs; the preference of the family for a certain method of communication; individual linguistic needs; the severity of hearing loss, the potential for using residual hearing; individual academic levels; and the social, emotional; and cultural needs of individual students. Schools are also responsible for providing opportunities for deaf students to interact and communicate with their peers and teachers.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) of OSEP is in charge of administering the American Printing House for the Blind, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and Gallaudet University. Additionally, the Deaf Students Education Services Initiative operates within the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. In 1986, the federal government began working with the Rochester Institute of Technology to provide postsecondary education for the Deaf, offering certificates, diplomas, and associate degree programs. Master’s degrees in Deaf education were added to the program in 1996, providing training for either deaf or hearing teachers who planned to work with deaf students.

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