After high school, I struggled to find access at my local community colleges. At the first school, they only offered Video Remote Interpreters. I transferred to a different one that offered in-person interpreters. However, I couldn’t take advantage of office hours with my professors and faced difficulties in getting captioning for classes. Gallaudet has always been my dream school, so after receiving my Associates Degree, I transferred there to complete my education.
All the obstacles I faced vanished when I got to Gallaudet. My understanding of classroom discussions improved tremendously with direct access to my peers as well as my professors. I was able to meet my professors during their office hours and get tutoring without having to schedule an interpreter. Gallaudet has made me a stronger student and helped me grow in all areas, including my deaf identity.