(NAPSA)—Finding a college that makes the grade can be easier than you might expect. Experts advise focusing on a few key factors, such as talking with guidance counselors, arranging campus visits and talking with students at a prospective school, when choosing between schools. But the process of finding the right college can be particularly challenging for students with hearing loss. Experts offer this advice: Communication * The college you consider should accommodate your preferred mode of communication (reading lips, sign language,etc.). If you have a hearing aid or cochlear implant, look for schools that provide you with on-campus support. * Look for schools that have interpreters, note takers and tutors on staff. Also, ask how you will communicate with professors after class—orthe librarian, the people at the registrar’s office, people who work in the cafeteria, etc. Equal Access * Even if you are the only person in your class with a hearing loss, you should still have access to support, provided through a note taker, interpreter, tutor or captioning service. * Find out which social clubs and sporting activities provide equal access to students at the school you are considering. Support * Find out if speech therapy is offered on campus. Also, find out if there is a place on campus where you can purchase hearing aid batteries, get repairs, or purchase new ear molds. * Find outif the college you are considering offers confidential College 101—Making sure you pick the best college for your needs. counseling services that can accommodate people with hearingloss. Security * Find a college with campus safety officers who can communicate instantly via pagers, TTY and sign language. * Check to see if the dorms and buildings are equipped with flashing lights or strobes for doorbells, fire alarms and other emergencies. In addition, look for schools with TTY or videophones that are readily available across campus. Schools * Only a few colleges, such as the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, provide programs and access and support services specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. NTID is the largest technological college of its kind in the world. Its 1,100 deaf and hard-of hearing students study, live and socialize with 14,400 hearing students on RIT’s campus in Rochester, New York. For more information, visit www.rit.edu/ntid/info or call 1-888-248-NTID (voice/TTY).
