Resources: coronavirus

Spinning like a top from one task to the next. Living with uncertainty and stress. Finding the small joys where we can.

Summer was full of anticipation for the new school year. Fall now feels simultaneously like more of the same and new challenges to face. 

For me, I often struggle to juggle continuing to triage short-term COVID-19 responses and having the focused energy needed for long term projects. Finding that balance is a daily process — rarely found, but with a strong and compassionate community, a hopeful possibility.

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies nationwide have faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they strived to connect with isolated deaf students, overcome technology issues, and continue to support access to Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), vocational training, and employment.

Whether made of brightly-colored cotton or medical-grade materials, face masks are now a fact of life during the pandemic to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. But face masks can make communication difficult, especially for deaf students, faculty, and staff at your college — and it’s an issue that transcends the classroom.

Stephanie Zito and Lore Kinast, Technical Assistance Specialists at the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC), will present at AHEAD 2020: Equity and Excellence, a national online conference featuring experts on access in higher education.

From finding face masks to facing unknown details for fall semester, disability services professionals at hundreds of U.S. colleges and universities are finding unique ways to serve deaf college students, faculty, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.