Deafness simulation. A model for enhancing awareness and sensitivity among hearing educators.

Awareness of and sensitivity toward handicaps on the part of nonhandicapped faculty and staff in educational environments is vital for both students and faculty. Awareness and sensitivity can be gained in a variety of ways; however, coordinated efforts are usually more comprehensive and enhancing. At the Rochester Institute of Technology in the College of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college for deaf students in Rochester, New York, the faculty development staff carried out a deafness simulation project for hearing faculty and staff. Rationale, a description of the project, and effective approaches for implementing and coordinating deafness simulation projects are presented below.