Using video resumes to teach deaf college students job search skills and improve their communication

For several years the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at the Rochester Institute of Technology has offered a course that focuses on preparing video resumes. Professionals from the Instructional Television Department and the National Center of Employment for the Deaf have collaborated with communication instructors to develop this option for NTID students. This paper describes the instruction and evaluation process from the perspective of NTID instructors, students, and other technical professionals. Employers who have hired NTID students and those who have no familiarity with deaf employees also participated in the evaluation. Their comments give valuable insights into the often different perspectives of deafness between those who have worked with deaf employees and those who lack such experience. Video resumes were found to be a viable tool in the job search, and the process of preparing the video was found to be a stimulating and rewarding experience for the participating students.