The Canisius College Graduate Deaf Education Program is a collaborative program with St. Mary’s School for the Deaf that prepares students to teach students who are deaf or hard of hearing in a variety of educational settings. The collaboration between Canisius and St. Mary’s has been in existence since 1963 and provides a great opportunity for students to learn while they serve.
All graduate courses are taught at St. Mary’s in the deaf education suite on the third floor of the Main Street building. Having the graduate courses taught at St. Mary’s and completing practicum placements at the school provides opportunities for immersion of the graduate students in deaf culture. Another benefit of the collaboration is the many opportunities graduate students have to observe, teach and serve the students who are deaf or hard of hearing who attend the school. St. Mary’s students range in age between 0-21 years old. Graduate students also can live at St. Mary’s while completing the two-year program which further provides them with experiences on site with students of all ages and learning abilities.
St. Mary’s serves a diverse population of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Some students use cochlear implants or digital hearing aids and communicate with speech and some sign language support. Other students communicate with American sign language or signed English. Some students have multiple disabilities and use augmentative communication technology. The graduate students receive practicum experiences with this diverse population beginning in the first semester of the program.
The Canisius College Graduate Deaf Education Program is one of the few in the United States that has an on-site collaborative program with a residential school for the deaf. It is a beneficial learning environment for each graduate student and provides the pedagogical background necessary to teach the diverse population of students who are deaf or hard of hearing seen in residential and public schools today. Because of the opportunity to serve St. Mary’s diverse student population and the many experiences throughout their graduate program, the graduates of the deaf education program are well prepared for a variety of employment opportunities serving the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing.
Submitted by: Sara Morris, associate vice president, academic affairs
