Deaf Graduates Tackle Move to Hearing World

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This year’s batch of graduates faces a tough job market—and for those saying goodbye to Gallaudet University, graduation means not only job hunting but adjusting to the hearing world.

To help students prepare, Gallaudet’s career counselors strongly encourage students to take internships in hearing environments. Numbers aren’t available for this year’s seniors, but about 73 percent of those in 2008-9 had internship experience. That rate is significantly higher than the national average of 48 percent, according to Daniel P. Veit, career counselor at Gallaudet.

Among members of the class of 2008, 70 percent of graduates had a job within a year, according to the most recent data available from the university. That number, Mr. Veit says, is slightly below the national average given by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

This year may prove more challenging than 2008 for job hunting, but many of Gallaudet’s graduates have lined up their next step. Some plan to go straight into a mainstream workplace, while others say they are easing the transition with graduate school.