SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, SLAUGHTER ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $67 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY’S NATIONAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF IN JUST-UNVEILED OMNIBUS BILL

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Louise Slaughter today announced that the Omnibus spending bill – a must-pass bill that funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year – includes $67.016 million in funding for Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), which is a much-needed increase of $725,000 from last year’s funding level.

NTID provides a college education to deaf and hard-of-hearing students from around the country, and gives them skills and training to find jobs and advance their careers. Federal funding allows NTID to invest in critical areas such as instruction, sign language, and captioning services. With this higher funding level, NTID will be able to increase its grants in aid for students, reducing the costs of receiving a degree, as well as propose new technical programs that would offer specialized training for employment in high-tech industries.

“Rochester’s Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf is well-known as one of the best schools in the country for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The NTID is truly one of the region’s bright spots; it adds to the local economy and creates a brighter future for the thousands of students that walk through its doors each year. The inclusion of this funding will allow the NTID to invest in programs that better prepare students for future employment and better equip teachers with the training needed to be successful in the classroom,” said Senator Schumer.

“This funding will help deaf and hard-of-hearing New Yorkers continue to receive a phenomenal education at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, ensuring they have the opportunity to achieve their full potential,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The programs at NTID teach critical skills that directly translate to good jobs after graduation. This is a smart investment and great news for Rochester.”

"NTID has cemented its legacy as the premier educational institution in the U.S. for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and I have been proud to support the school year after year,” Rep. Slaughter said. “The promise of America lies in giving everyone an opportunity to succeed, and this funding will help NTID and our entire community fulfill that promise.”

“NTID is grateful to its longtime friends and supporters in Congress, including Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and Congresswoman Slaughter, for their tireless advocacy on behalf of our students, faculty and staff,” said NTID President Gerard J. Buckley. “The additional funding in this FY 2015 omnibus bill, if approved, will aid us in furthering our primary mission of preparing deaf and hard of hearing students for success in a rapidly changing global workforce, by continuing to provide them with outstanding state-of-the-art technical and professional education programs.  For more than 45 years, NTID has been a federal investment that truly works, and we are fortunate to have leaders who recognize and support our efforts.”  

In Fiscal Year 2013, 94 percent of NTID’s graduates were placed in jobs commensurate with their education level, consistent with NTID’s average employment rate of 93 percent over the last 10 years. Using data from the Social Security Administration, NTID can show that its graduates over their lifetimes are employed at a much higher rate, earn substantially more, and participate at a much lower rate in government support programs like Social Security Insurance and Social Security Disability Insurance than students who withdraw from NTID or earn degrees from other institutions of higher education.

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