April 2026

On April 15, RIT/NTID hosted a National American Sign Language Day event that featured a lecture by Dr. Janine Butler, associate professor in NTID’s Department of Liberal Studies, and remarks from representatives of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office.

Butler presented “Captions and Subtitles: Accessibility and Creativity" as part of NTID’s ASL Lecture Series. She discussed the value of captions and subtitles in the creation of videos and shared examples of social media videos, popular television shows, and other videos that meaningfully incorporate captions and subtitles.

Following Butler’s lecture, the government officials shared important news and updates about the governor’s proposal to include American Sign Language into the New State Language Law to ensure that New Yorkers who use sign language will be able to more quickly and easily access government information and services. 

On April 15, student startup teams pitched their innovative business and product ideas to a panel of judges during NTID’s Next Big Idea competition. Seven student teams competed for cash prizes of $2,000, $1,000, and $500.

Congratulations to the winners: 

Other teams in the competition included: 

RIT/NTID is proud of all the students who participated in this year’s competition! A special thank you to ZP Better Together for sponsoring this event and supporting the next generation of innovators. 

On April 23, RIT/NTID alum and internationally renowned artist Christine Sun Kim visited campus as part of the NTID Edmund Lyon Memorial Lectureship Series. More than 500 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members attended Kim’s presentation in RIT’s new Performing Arts Center. 

Kim discussed her creative process and work, which focuses on her relationship with spoken and signed languages and challenges social norms. Following her presentation, Kim engaged in a question-and-answer session facilitated by Marissa Woodruff, director of NTID’s Dyer Arts Center.

On April 24, NTID’s Dyer Arts Center hosted a reception celebrating three exhibitions: 

The exhibitions remain on view through May 12, 2026. To learn more about these exhibitions, visit the Dyer Arts Center website.

For Blake Culley, the road to becoming a teacher was anything but traditional. It included work as a school psychologist in Washington, D.C., a cross-country move to California, and a substitute teaching assignment that unexpectedly changed their path.

Culley will graduate in May with a master’s degree in Deaf education from NTID. As Culley completes their student-teaching internship at California School for the Deaf, Riverside, they are eager to continue working there as a bilingual language arts high school teacher.

Learn more about how Culley found their calling in Deaf education. 

This year’s recipient of the Bruce R. James ’64 Distinguished Public Service Award is Janeva Mosher, of Danville, Calif., who graduates this spring with a bachelor's degree in community development and inclusive leadership.

Mosher completed a social impact fellowship last fall with the Rochester Deaf Kitchen, based at Rochester School for the Deaf. When the fellowship ended, she was asked to work there as pantry manager, responsible for ordering food from food banks and coordinating volunteers, delivery days, and tours.

Mosher said she was aware of food insecurity others experienced as she grew up, but she never had been immersed in the topic until she joined Rochester Deaf Kitchen where more than 150 volunteers have distributed more than 500,000 pounds of food to more than 28,000 community members experiencing hunger.

Learn more about Mosher’s passion for helping the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community overcome food insecurity.

The Business Studies department offers Microsoft Certifications for NTID students. Earning certification allows students to highlight their proficiency with their selected application or discipline. 

As the credentials and skills are verified by Microsoft, potential employers can rely on the certificate authenticity and verification of students’ skills. RIT/NTID congratulates the following students who successfully completed their certifications:

RIT Convocation for all graduates is Friday, May 8, at 10 a.m. in the Gordon Field House.

NTID’s undergraduate delegate is Cha'Risa Reins, a laboratory science technology major from Del Valle, Texas. The graduate delegate is Galvin Drake, a master’s in deaf education major from Riverside, California.

For the first time, two additional NTID-affiliated graduates are delegates of their respective colleges: Charles Coleman, Jr. is the undergraduate delegate for the Golisano College of Computing and Information Studies, and Gabriel “Gabo” Ponte-Fleary is the graduate delegate for the College of Art and Design.

NTID’s Commencement is at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9, in the Gene Polisseni Center, with a reception from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Gracie’s.

Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur will receive an honorary doctoral degree at Friday’s Convocation and will be NTID’s Commencement speaker on Saturday. 

To stay in touch with other parents and up to date on current events, join our Facebook group for parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing and interpreting students at RIT/NTID! More resources are available on the NTID Parents and Families page. Other resources also are available on the RIT Parents and Families page.

For any questions, feel free to reach out to Loriann Macko, Director of NTID Alumni and Constituent Relations, at Loriann.Macko@rit.edu.

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