Abstract
There has been limited research conducted at the higher education level about DHH students’ who attend mainstream postsecondary institutions where a small number of Deaf people are enrolled (Smith, 2004). Moreover, reported research indicated there is limited effectiveness of student support services at the mainstreamed postsecondary level for the DHH individual (Noble, 2010). Vincent Tinto’s (1987) Longitudinal Model developed for DHH students describes pre-entry attributes to enable their persistence at the higher education level. Tinto’s (1993) social model on effective principles of retention practices at universities help identified retention efforts and strategies to integrate DHH students into the social and academic climate of the campus environment. This study identifies on- and- off campus local resources for DHH students’ needs. Specific factors and characteristics are underscored that DHH students may encounter through their experiences at the college level in attaining a degree, and what support components are needed for them to persist until they graduate. The practical impact of this study is to integrate the voice and fair perspectives of the DHH students’, staff service liaison professionals’ and an ASL faculty first hand triangulated data to give greater insight through a comparing and contrasting of responses, and draw conclusions that could apply to the research questions of this study. 1. What services and support networks do DHH students rely on inside and outside of the institution to help them persist in school? 2. Are the institutional support services available on campus and community resources adequate enough for this population? The conclusion highlights the concerns by all participants for greater resource connections and heightened awareness of their needs. Some areas addressed by the participants are not about resources but concerns centralized institutional funding and prior cut backs that create limitations in the areas of faculty hiring, the need for more interpreters, mentorship options for DHH students, specialized classes, reduced tuition cost, and meeting specific requested accommodations by the DHH student. The researcher recommendations for further actions are based if centralized funding is overcome, it will create more resources for accommodations at the two and four year mainstream institutional level of education.