RIT/NTID partnered with The Strong National Museum of Play to celebrate the richness of Rochester’s Deaf community with Deaf Day of Play at the museum on Saturday, March 21.

The event featured sign language interpreted activities, including the opportunity to learn about butterflies from a museum biologist in the Dancing Wings Butterly Garden, explore the American Sign Language alphabet, and more. Students from RIT/NTID’s Bachelor of Science in Interpreting program provided pro bono interpreting services throughout the museum, which helped create a fully accessible experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors.

“Rochester has the largest deaf population per capita in the U.S., so it’s important to ensure events are accessible for deaf children, deaf parents, and deaf families,” said Danny Maffia, practicum coordinator in the Department of ASL and Interpreting Education at RIT/NTID. “Our students were pleased to provide accessible communication for event attendees while at the same time gaining valuable real-world interpreting experience.” 

Meet Semra Kayitmaz, a Biomedical Sciences major who found the balance of community, access, and opportunity she was looking for at RIT/NTID.

In this episode of Faces of NTID, Kayitmaz shares how RIT has enabled her to connect with both the Deaf community and the broader campus and gain hands-on experiences like studying abroad, shadowing doctors, and serving as an NTID Ambassador.

Watch Kayitmaz’s story and learn more about our programs at rit.edu/ntid. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m Emily Nover, hailing from the metro D.C. area. I’m a second-year graduate student in the Data Science MS program here. 

What are some of the things you’ve enjoyed most about being at RIT? I’ve enjoyed the variety here at RIT. Variety in classes, people, things to do on campus and around Rochester, resources, clubs, and of course… the weather (outside of winter). No day is really the same here, and I am able to find something new to do. In the short time I’ve been here (~2 years), I’ve learned a lot and seen a lot, which is saying something about how much RIT has offered! 

What is something you’ve learned from challenges you’ve had as a college student? Over six years combined of college (both undergraduate at a different university and graduate here), I’ve had my fair share of challenges. I think the biggest takeaway I’ve had is that it is absolutely OKAY to stumble. I like to hold myself to high standards, so when I’m challenged in a way that I have not yet been, I always struggle with not achieving 100%. The whole point of being in school and learning is to actually learn. It’s impossible to achieve completeness or total knowledge on the first attempt, but it shouldn’t deter you from continuing to reach that goal. Learning, after all, is a lifelong task, not a one-time thing.

What is your favorite place on campus and why? I would say probably either Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED)/Wallace Library or Student Life Center (SLC), because I spend most of my time on campus in either one of these buildings, and there’s always something going on, which I appreciate as a graduate student as it gives me chances to actually interact with the people in those places. 

You’re part of the RIT/NTID Alumni Mentoring program this academic year – what has that experience been like for you? This experience has been enriching, as I have been able to connect with a great mentor that I meet with on a weekly basis. From that, I’ve met several other people through my mentor, and we are working on a project together that will help me gain more experience in Deaf community work, which is something I’m very excited about! This opportunity would not have happened without the program, so I’m grateful for that.

For Thomastine Sarchet, global research is about more than collecting data—it’s about expanding opportunities and dignity for deaf people worldwide.

Sarchet, assistant professor of deaf education at RIT/NTID, has spent years collaborating with Deaf communities across Southeast Asia to improve education systems and employment pathways. Her work focuses on understanding the barriers deaf individuals face in the workforce and developing and implementing practical programs that help them secure meaningful careers.

“The Deaf community around the world faces many of the same challenges,” Sarchet said. “When we share knowledge and build partnerships, we can strengthen education systems and create more opportunities globally.”

Learn more about how Sarchet collaborates with Deaf communities to improve education systems and employment pathways. 

On March 20, Deaf creator, advocate and author Sheena McFeely visited campus and presented “Silence is Not Golden” as part of RIT/NTID’s ASL Lecture Series. 

McFeely shared what made her a driven creator and advocate despite “the mountains” in front of her. She also discussed how “villains” became her teaching moments, how “heroes” helped build her up, and how her victories and losses shaped her “hoods” – Deafhood, womanhood, and motherhood. 

Following the presentation, the NTID Student Life Team hosted a casual conversation with McFeely where she chatted with students about her experiences, including her work on an ASL Nook series, a Disney commercial, and the documentary Deaf Out Loud.

NTID’s Student Life Team will host the annual Ethnic Festival on Friday, April 10, from 2 to 5 p.m., in the CSD Student Development Center. The event celebrates diverse cultures within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, featuring international cuisine, cultural displays, and community pride. 

There is no cost for this event. RIT/NTID students, staff, faculty, and community members are welcome to attend and enjoy the experience of various global cultures. 

This year’s event theme is “Taste the World in One Place.” 

RIT/NTID alum and internationally renowned artist Christine Sun Kim will visit campus as part of the NTID Edmund Lyon Memorial Lectureship Series on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the new RIT Performing Arts Center.

Kim is an American artist based in Berlin whose practice considers how sound operates in society, deconstructing the politics of sound and exploring how oral languages operate as social currency. Working across drawing, performance, video and large scale murals, Kim explores her relationship to spoken and signed languages, to her built and social environments, and to the world at large.

She has exhibited and performed internationally, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2025); Gwangju Biennale (2023); Secession, Vienna (2023); Queens Museum, New York (2022); the Drawing Center, New York (2022); the Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2021); and Manchester International Festival, among numerous others.

Admission is free and open to the public, but registration is required to attend. Interpreting services have been requested. 

For more information, contact Brian Haak, event manager for NTID’s Office of External Affairs at behoea@rit.edu. We hope you will join us and encourage your students to attend this exciting evening with the artist as she shares her visual work and creative process.

NTID will host its annual Student Research Fair on Friday, April 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Rosica Hall.

NTID-supported student researchers will share how they are breaking new ground in health science, astrophysics, communication studies/linguistics, pedagogy, sustainability research and more. Students also will have the opportunity to present their findings through posters supported by NTID Office of the President and Research Center on Culture and Language.

This event is free and open to the public. Interpreters have been requested. We hope you will join us for this exciting event and encourage your students to attend and see what their fellow students have been working on.

For more information, contact Brooke Williams, NTID senior staff assistant, at bgwnpd@rit.edu. Visit the website to learn more about the NTID Student Research Fair.

RIT will welcome thousands of attendees on Saturday, April 25, 2026, for the Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival. This signature university event showcases groundbreaking innovation, art, and technology from students, faculty, and staff and will feature more than 400 interactive exhibits, research projects, and performances. 

The event is free and open to the public. Visit the Imagine RIT website to learn more. 

Join us for a long weekend, starting Thursday evening with the Lyon Lecture by artist Christine Sun Kim, followed by the NTID Student Research Fair Friday, and then Imagine RIT on Saturday. We look forward to seeing you for these exciting events!

The NTID Office of the President will host a special reception to celebrate this year’s graduating class on Saturday, May 9, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Grace Watson Hall.  

If you plan to attend, please register by Monday, April 27, 2026. Refreshments will be provided. Interpreting services have been requested.

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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