FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A nationally respected rehabilitation program in the University of Arkansas’ College of Education and Health Professions has been awarded $3 million for research and training benefiting those with hearing loss.

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education has awarded a five-year grant to the University of Arkansas to fund a research and training program designed to improve the capability of the federal-state vocational rehabilitation system to address the needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

"We are proud of the 20 years of accomplishment by our rehabilitation researchers," said Robert Smith, Provost of the University of Arkansas. "This grant will allow them to continue research and education activities that have been of significant benefit to Arkansas and to the vocational rehabilitation field nationally."

"The college’s rehabilitation research and training center has played an important role in shaping national vocational rehabilitation practices for people who are deaf and hard of hearing," said Reed Greenwood, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions. "Our research sets the pace in the field, and our graduates are leaders in the profession nationally."

"The center’s faculty and staff have an impressive record of publication," said Douglas Watson, professor in the department of rehabilitation education and research and director of the center. "We are the nation’s leading publishers of rehabilitation materials for people who are deaf and hard of hearing."

In its 20-year history, the center has undertaken 38 research projects. During the past five years, researchers examined pathways and barriers to success in the workplace Their work identified models of school-to-work initiatives, surveyed community-based employment training programs and developed materials to meet their needs for technical assistance. Faculty also designed innovative resources to increase workforce participation of workers with hearing loss, including use of remote digital compressed video to provide interpreting in service delivery.

Center faculty and staff have conducted training programs in 45 states for rehabilitation practitioners and workers who are deaf or hard of hearing, serving nearly 15,000 trainees. In 20 years, over150 students have graduated with a master’s degree specializing in rehabilitation of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Graduates have gone on to play leading roles as rehabilitation scholars and practitioners nationally.

Watson is editor of the Journal of Interpretation, a scholarly journal that serves both the academic community and practitioner/interpreters worldwide. It is, Watson said, the most highly respected journal on sign language interpretation worldwide and a primary source of scholarly information and publications on the subject.

The Research and Training Center for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is located in Little Rock and works closely with Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, the state agency charged with helping people with disabilities succeed in the workplace.

Hearing loss is the most prevalent chronic disabling condition in the United States today. More than 26 million people experience hearing loss, and there are 14.3 million individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 who could benefit from vocational rehabilitation, post-secondary training, and related community-based services.