The National Science Foundation is giving more than $4.45 million to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York over the next 4 years. The money will go to create something called DeafTEC, which stands for Technological Education Center for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students, an Advanced Technological Education National Center of Excellence. There are several dozen Advanced Technological Education centers in the U.S., but this will be the first aimed at serving the deaf and hard of hearing. High schools, community colleges and employers will be able to tap into its resources for study in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. DeafTEC's goal will be putting more deaf and heard of hearing students into jobs by providing information related to preparing these students for technical careers. The facility will focus on three areas of the country through partnerships with these organizations:
California
California School for the Deaf, Riverside
Pierce College, Woodland Hills
Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose
Solar Turbines Incorporated, San Diego
The Dow Chemical Company, Hayward and La Mirada
Florida
Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind, St. Augustine
St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg
ConMed Linvatec Corporation, Largo
BioDerm, Inc., North Largo
Bovie Medical Corporation, Clearwater
Texas
Texas School for the Deaf, Austin
Austin Community College, Austin
The Dow Chemical Company, Houston, Bay Port, Texas City, Deer Park/LaPorte, Freeport and Seadrift
