Founding Director | National Deaf Center
The National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes was established in 2017 when Stephanie received a $20 million, five-year federal award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs in to lead a technical assistance and dissemination center that has a far-reaching effect: supporting #DeafSuccess for more than two million deaf and hard of hearing students transitioning from high school to adulthood.
It was one of the largest grants awarded by the Department of Education to support technical assistance and professional development in special education. The National Deaf Center received additional federal funding from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in 2018.
Publication Alert: Self-Determination and Deaf Youth: New Study Published in JDSDE Proves Effectiveness of ASL-Accessible Measurement Tool
With its mission is to close the substantial gaps in education and employment that exist for deaf people in the United States and its territories, the National Deaf Center provides evidence-based strategies at the local, state, and national levels. Its work is for deaf people, by deaf people — with a team of diverse staff members, contractors, and interpreters working remotely across four time zones.
A recent report, Pivoting in a Pandemic: An Urgent Response to Deaf Students in Crisis, explains the National Deaf Center’s impact under Stephanie’s leadership to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its unique toll on deaf and hard of hearing students.
Other highlights of her NDC leadership include:
Groundbreaking collaborations through the Engage for Change | state initiative, bringing cross-agency state teams in education and vocational rehabilitation together to seek change through data, dialog, and initiatives — all tailored to each state context.
Leading national conversations about closing gaps in educational and employment outcomes for deaf youth, translating our research into action and communicating it together with external experts, national task forces, and media.
Transforming the theoretical frameworks about transition and accessibility by digging deep into the research literature and including deaf perspectives in NDC publications, data collection, and outreach — expanding how to think about and address barriers to postsecondary success. What are the root causes? How is access more than accommodations? What does evidence mean?
Working with colleagues across so many schools and universities, organizations, technical assistance centers, and agencies to dismantle isolation, engage cooperatively, and make change together — one student at a time.