Attitudes and Biases as Barriers for Deaf People

This course is designed to provide participants with resources to increase their awareness of the ethnic and cultural diversity within the deaf community; and that there is no “one” deaf community but rather many. Also, participants will learn to recognize the impact of social constructs on the educational and employment experiences of deaf people. Participants will examine how negative attitudes and biases create barriers and impact advancement in both education and employment settings, and examine disparities in opportunities in these settings in the context of intersectionality among the communities of deaf people of color. The fact that an individual is deaf in and of itself does not explain the disparities we see today in educational achievement and employment outcomes for deaf people. Rather these disparities can be attributed to underlying factors that may not always be immediately apparent.  The National Deaf Center identified negative attitudes and biases as one of several root causes or contributing factors to attainment gaps for deaf people.

Attitudes and Biases as Barriers for Deaf People is a three-hour self-paced professional development opportunity that can help you understand how biases, attitudes, and social constructs impact educational attainment and employment outcomes for deaf people. This course covers:

-An examination of how negative attitudes and biases result in barriers to advancement in education and employment, especially as it applies to deaf people of color;

-An examination of how limited access to education and employment opportunities are shaped by ideologies of intersecting identities of, backgrounds, and experiences of deaf people; and

-How to take action to honor deaf people, deaf identities, and experiences when working together.