Challenges and rewards of educating a profoundly deaf student.

Abstract

The faculty and administrators of a college of nursing in a public university learned that awareness of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 is very different from complying with its mandates in the education of a profoundly deaf nursing student. The process began with many challenges and ended with rewards beyond the expectations of all involved. Faculty, who initially resisted the concept of educating a "deaf nurse," developed creative teaching strategies and ultimately gained a new perspective regarding who has the potential to become a good nurse. In the final analysis, everyone agreed that this exceptional young woman was not only our student, but was also our teacher.