Last week’s Deaf Awareness Week, as proclaimed by NIU President John LaTourette, was evidence of the university’s intent to remain a national leader in providing services and programs for the hearing impaired.

Nancy Kasinski, director of the department of services for the hearing impaired, said NIU has the unique ability to provide a wide range of services and programs. She said the campus has been able to provide more services to more students at bachelor’s and graduate levels for a longer time than any other four year state institution in Illinois.

NIU not only provides services for college level students, it also provides programs for students who are not yet ready to attend college, Kasinski said.

She said her department provides hearing impaired students with services to match their needs, whether those needs are for emotional support, a tutor or an interpreter.

Sign interpreters can be assigned for in class or extra-curricular activities, Kasinski said.

In addition to services, the third and fourth floors of Grant Towers South are specially equipped to house hearing impaired students, Kasinski said.

She said the floors have visual fire alarms which are “very bright strobe lights”— bright enough to “wake even the dead.” The floors also have convenience devices for the hearing impaired, such as flashing doorbell lights and closed-captioned television in both lounges.

The department of programs for the hearing impaired has been in service for about 25 years, and the department of services for about 10 years, Kasinski said.

Last week’s Deaf Awareness Week was the first at NIU. Allan Vest, director of the program for the hearing impaired, said the week brought about a positive interaction between the hearing and the non-hearing students on campus.

The week included events designed to inform students of the rights of the hearing impaired. Events included a panel of speakers, a group of mimes and a showing of the film “Children of a Lesser God.”

The events also encouraged students to actively learn more about the deaf.