National Technical Institute for Deaf: 40 years

Miss-Delectable · 06-30-2008, 03:36 AM

National Technical Institute for Deaf: 40 years | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

Dave Killam arrived on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus as a frustrated 19-year-old.

He was born deaf to hearing parents and went through elementary, middle and high school ostracized as the only deaf kid in class. His first few moments at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf changed his life.

"I walked in and saw so many flying hands, people actually signing to each other. I had never been around so many other deaf people in my life and I immediately started feeling comfortable," said Killam, 59, who now lives in Orlando, Fla.

"I walked into a wonderful world and I don't ever want to see an institution like this go away."

Killam is one of more than 700 alumni on campus this weekend celebrating the 40th anniversary of NTID, which opened on Sept. 15, 1968. More than 6,000 students have graduated from the school since Killam's 70-person pioneer class. Created by Congress and signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson, NTID was established to provide secondary education in technological subjects for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Today, more than 1,343 students from every state except Idaho and 13 countries attend the program to live, study and socialize with others on the Henrietta campus.

Mary Beth Mothersell, a 1985 graduate, said she knows it sounds corny and cliché, but attending RIT as a deaf student changed every facet of her life.

"I don't want to know where I would be without it," said Mothersell, of Geneseo, Livingston County, who won the Miss Deaf America pageant in 1980 and appeared on an episode of MacGyver playing a deaf, psychic teacher.

"I had no idea what to expect, but it was one of the most incredible experiences in my life."

In serving as NTID's founding director, D. Robert Frisina knew he faced two challenges: providing a quality education for deaf students and convincing corporate America that they deserved a chance.

"At that time, the upper echelon jobs were not available for deaf students and we wanted to create economic parity across the board," said Frisina. "But we also had to upgrade and uplift expectations for our students and let them know they could do any career they wanted no matter what anyone said."

Alan Hurwitz spent Thursday listening to alumni recount their experiences at NTID and talk about their children, who also attend the school now.

"The stories about all the ways these students have impacted their community is awe inspiring," said Hurwitz, NTID's president.

"We have people in the medical, engineering, law and psychology fields, which would be unheard of 20 to 30 years ago, and it just shows the advances that we have made."

***VamPyroX*** · 07-07-2008, 01:59 AM

I remember helping out with the 35th Anniversary Reunion.

deafdyke · 07-07-2008, 02:32 AM

Eeeekkkkkkkk....in ten years it'll be FIFTY YEARS of NTID!!!! EEEEEKKKKK!!!!!

horselover61 · 07-07-2008, 04:19 AM

I may go to 50th reunion. I remmy when I went to NTID and my Aunt said that she can understand me now when I speak with her then before. I was puzzled cuz I didnt have any speech therapy class as I did when I was in High School.

My signing was improving at that time. So it had changed my life too and met and made a friends there.

RedFox · 07-07-2008, 06:07 PM

When I'm an old geezer at over 80, if I'm still alive, maybe I could go to the 100th one.

06-30-2008, 03:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
Miss-Delectable Capt Tony Nelson, Jeannie Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: No.1 Shopping Capital in Australia Posts: 8,686 Blog Entries: 3	National Technical Institute for Deaf: 40 years National Technical Institute for Deaf: 40 years \| democratandchronicle.com \| Democrat and Chronicle Dave Killam arrived on the Rochester Institute of Technology campus as a frustrated 19-year-old. He was born deaf to hearing parents and went through elementary, middle and high school ostracized as the only deaf kid in class. His first few moments at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf changed his life. "I walked in and saw so many flying hands, people actually signing to each other. I had never been around so many other deaf people in my life and I immediately started feeling comfortable," said Killam, 59, who now lives in Orlando, Fla. "I walked into a wonderful world and I don't ever want to see an institution like this go away." Killam is one of more than 700 alumni on campus this weekend celebrating the 40th anniversary of NTID, which opened on Sept. 15, 1968. More than 6,000 students have graduated from the school since Killam's 70-person pioneer class. Created by Congress and signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson, NTID was established to provide secondary education in technological subjects for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Today, more than 1,343 students from every state except Idaho and 13 countries attend the program to live, study and socialize with others on the Henrietta campus. Mary Beth Mothersell, a 1985 graduate, said she knows it sounds corny and cliché, but attending RIT as a deaf student changed every facet of her life. "I don't want to know where I would be without it," said Mothersell, of Geneseo, Livingston County, who won the Miss Deaf America pageant in 1980 and appeared on an episode of MacGyver playing a deaf, psychic teacher. "I had no idea what to expect, but it was one of the most incredible experiences in my life." In serving as NTID's founding director, D. Robert Frisina knew he faced two challenges: providing a quality education for deaf students and convincing corporate America that they deserved a chance. "At that time, the upper echelon jobs were not available for deaf students and we wanted to create economic parity across the board," said Frisina. "But we also had to upgrade and uplift expectations for our students and let them know they could do any career they wanted no matter what anyone said." Alan Hurwitz spent Thursday listening to alumni recount their experiences at NTID and talk about their children, who also attend the school now. "The stories about all the ways these students have impacted their community is awe inspiring," said Hurwitz, NTID's president. "We have people in the medical, engineering, law and psychology fields, which would be unheard of 20 to 30 years ago, and it just shows the advances that we have made." __________________

07-07-2008, 01:59 AM	#2 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 27,032	I remember helping out with the 35th Anniversary Reunion. __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)

07-07-2008, 04:19 AM	#4 (permalink)
horselover61 Neigh!!! Neigh!!! Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 5,224 Blog Entries: 2	I may go to 50th reunion. I remmy when I went to NTID and my Aunt said that she can understand me now when I speak with her then before. I was puzzled cuz I didnt have any speech therapy class as I did when I was in High School. My signing was improving at that time. So it had changed my life too and met and made a friends there. __________________ Check out my city!! http://furbyland.myminicity.com/

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07-07-2008, 02:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
deafdyke So NOT a Princess! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Trebekistan Posts: 6,560	Eeeekkkkkkkk....in ten years it'll be FIFTY YEARS of NTID!!!! EEEEEKKKKK!!!!!

07-07-2008, 06:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
RedFox Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Bellows Falls, VT Posts: 1,112	When I'm an old geezer at over 80, if I'm still alive, maybe I could go to the 100th one.