Abstract
<p>Community colleges are estimated to be serving 3,000-5,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing students annually. A growing number of these community college students are seeking to continue their postsecondary education at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. This study examined the experiences of community college students who moved to NTID and involved a comparative analysis of this group with a group of native students who enrolled in the Institute during the same time period (1979-1983). Transfers and natives were compared on 28 variables with four major areas: Entry-level characteristics, entry-level academic skills, entry-level communication skills and academic achievement at RIT. Significant differences between the two groups were identified in 9 of the areas examined. On the basis of this data, is was concluded that these two students populations were not homogeneous. Recommendations related to improving the transfer experience based upon the results of these students are provided.</p>
