Assessment of Service-Learning in the Deaf-Blind Community

This article provides of an overview of a project which assessed a service-learning initiative in a post-secondary Interpreter Education Program (IEP) in which students learn via civic engagement with the Deaf-Blind community to employ concepts and skills acquired from coursework. In 2005, several years after implementing service-learning in the Interpreting for Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind course, the program assessed project efficacy through reflective journal analysis and stakeholder interviews. Results indicated dominant themes around Deaf-Blind consumer empowerment, personal attitudes, coping strategies, and application of experiences to specific topics addressed in class. Outcomes of this assessment are being used to revise the course so as to align objectives more closely with needs of students and community entities that serve persons who are Deaf-Blind.