Project 2025 and the Trump Administration have expressed their desire to defund crucial higher education institutions, such as the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and Gallaudet University. These universities were founded with the purpose of providing full access to interpreters, closed captioning, note-taking, and audiology services to Deaf students, all while providing the opportunity to receive a degree. 

To elaborate, NTID allows students to receive the necessary services mentioned above, while also pursuing technical, art, business, and other career choices at the Rochester Institute of Technology, due to the two colleges sharing the same campus.

Gallaudet University especially benefits the Deaf community, with it being created solely for the Deaf, with all classes instructed in sign language.

Both NTID and Gallaudet are federally funded, which allow more students to receive an education, who could perhaps be financially challenged. NTID's tuition is a low $15,140, in comparison to RIT's tuition, which costs approximately $54,518 to attend. Therefore, NTID is roughly three to four times cheaper than RIT. Combine low tuition with the services NTID has to offer, the appeal to attend becomes much greater. It should be noted that although a Deaf person is technically enrolled as an NTID student and can pursue an NTID major, they are entitled to attend RIT, at the cost of NTID. Defunding this institution would therefore lower the appeal to attend, due to inevitable financial stresses. The domino effect would then be as follows- the Deaf community would be less likely to attend college, and potentially pursue less fulfilling futures. Already, only 5% of Deaf people will pursue post secondary education, because of lack of access, even with these two universities available.

Gallaudet University offers education at a rate of $17,712; about equal to mainstream four year in-state schools, but lower than the average out-of-state costs. Gallaudet offers intimate student-faculty instruction, with an 8:1 classroom setting. For the Deaf community, this ensures the attention and inclusion they need to succeed. Additionally, Gallaudet offers athletics, as an NCAA Division Three school, which becomes an extension of the opportunities its' student life has to offer.

In conclusion, it is crucial these institutions remain open and accessible. Should Project 2025 come to fruition, it would be a significant setback in the Deaf community. The Deaf community already experiences various limitations as minorities; the National Association for the Deaf reminds us that "with schools for the Deaf, society benefits with more productive and contributing deaf adults." (NAD website)