Weber State University Deaf Services provides resources to its Deaf and hard-of-hearing students to help them navigate school through a hearing world. These services include American Sign Language interpreting, transcribing, closed captioning and note-taking assistance. Other accommodations can be made for students as needed if requested as well.
Taylor Mousley, a communication access specialist and certified ASL/English interpreter, supervises Weber State’s ASL interpreting and transcribing efforts.
“Our department is committed to providing equal access to higher education to all students, including Deaf and hard-of-hearing students,” Mousley said, “By providing essential communication access services we hope to bridge the gap between Deaf/hard-of-hearing and hearing environments, ensuring that Deaf and hard-of-hearing students have the same opportunities to succeed.”
Colleges are not the only places helping Deaf students navigate a hearing world. Kenneth Burdett School of the Deaf supports Deaf and hard-of-hearing students from ages 3 to 22. The school helps students learn core education curriculum and even provides on-site job training for students. The school has campuses in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Springville and St. George.
Martin Price, the director of Kenneth Burdett School of the Deaf and a Deaf man himself, has seen the impact that schools like his can have on Deaf students.
“We have a student with cochlear implants who didn’t feel comfortable wearing them because of peer attention,” Price said, “Once they came in and saw other kids that had cochlear implants as well they realized, ‘Hey, I’m not the only student like this!’”
Kenneth Burdett School of the Deaf helps Deaf students find a common community and provides a place for them to openly express themselves. The school’s staff is over 85% Deaf adults which helps provide role models for its students.
The school’s enrollment numbers are continuing to grow as more parents of Deaf children learn about the opportunities it provides. In the past seven years, the amount of students attending has grown from 35 students to 85 students today.
“What separates the Deaf and hard-of-hearing students from other disabilities is the communication barriers that we often face, while all other disabled students without hearing loss do not have,” Price said.
Deaf people have to learn how to navigate through a hearing world, but this does not stop them from achieving success. Mousley shared a favorite quote from Irving King Jordan, the first Deaf president of Gallaudet University: “Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do except hear.”
For students who wish to learn more about the Deaf community and learn American Sign Language, Weber State offers ASL classes, ASL certification and an associate of arts in ASL.
The best place to learn more about the Deaf community is from Deaf people themselves.
“While I work closely with people in the Deaf community, as a hearing person, I’m not part of the community myself,” Mousley said. “My best advice is to seek out and learn directly from Deaf individuals or Deaf-made resources.”
