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Officials Deny Discrimination of Deaf at Community College

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Lisa Rosengrant lost her hearing when she was three. She's now a college student, and she can hear somewhat with the help of hearing aids. But she still has trouble taking notes in class.

"This past semester, I pretty much failed all my classes because I didn't have the right services," Rosengrant said.

She transferred to Naugatuck Valley Community College last year to be closer to home, but she didn't have access to the variety of services she got while at Northwestern Connecticut Community College. Northwestern houses a program for deaf and hard of hearing students that's unique within Connecticut.

But many deaf students have been leaving Northwestern. In 2013, there were 20 deaf or hard-of-hearing students enrolled. Last fall, only seven attended. This spring, it's down to five.

Deaf advocates have said it's shrinking because students like Rosengrant can't make the trip to Northwestern, which doesn't offer housing, and is tucked away in rural Winsted. Now the program has also cut back on staff, raising even more concerns.

At least four students have filed complaints with the state's Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, alleging violations to the Americans with Disabilities Act because of these staff and alleged service reductions. The Board of Regents has denied the discrimination claim.

No "one at [Northwestern] discriminated or retaliated against [the student] in any way," wrote Gregory Daniels, a lawyer for the Board of Regents for Higher Education, in a response to one complaint obtained by WNPR.

Daniels argued that the student in this case did not provide a specific example of discrimination.

But Roseann Dennerlien, a former counselor for the deaf at Northwestern, sees things differently.

"It's not just a Northwestern issue, it's a statewide issue," she said. "At other colleges, they have a tutor that knows the material but doesn't know anything about how deaf people learn, so there's a gap. And that's discrimination."

An advisory board from Northwestern has sought to move the program for deaf students to Naugatuck Valley in Waterbury, which already offers a broader offering of classes and is more easily accessible. College officials there have not expressed interest in housing such a program.

David finds and tells stories about education and learning for WNPR radio and its website. He also teaches journalism and media literacy to high school students, and he starts the year with the lesson: “Conflicts of interest: Real or perceived? Both matter.” He thinks he has a sense of humor, and he also finds writing in the third person awkward, but he does it anyway.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.