Astrophysicist Breaks Barriers for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Science Students

Researcher Jason Nordhaus discusses his experience teaching physics and astronomy at the Rochester Institute of Technology. As a hearing person, Nordhaus began learning ASL later in life; he realized, watching a signed conversation, that he did not know any deaf astronomers or physicists. Now, he serves as an assistant professor at RIT and a researcher with deaf physics students.

Soon after learning ASL, Nordhaus began teaching college-level astronomy at RIT, the United States’ only university with advanced science programs for its majority-deaf students. Nordhaus has engaged in research led by deaf physics majors, including a three-year project on galactic clusters with Boston University. Though Nordhaus finds it easy to teach his students, finding other faculty willing and able to communicate with them remains a challenge. For the future, he hopes to increase accessibility through his grant-funded research projects and greater attention to these language barriers.

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