With the funding of the four regional postsecondary education technical
assistance centers for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, the U.S.
Department of Education directed that a national needs assessment be
conducted to determine the specific kinds of assistance to be provided by
each of the centers. The needs assessment focused on the population of
postsecondary institutions listed on the 1995-96 Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System (IPEDS) maintained by the National Center for
Education Statistics. As a result, questionnaires were sent to 10,391
postsecondary institutions in the U.S. and its territories, including two-
and four-year colleges as well as training programs offering less than
two-year degrees. The questionnaire was designed to gain information about
the postsecondary program, the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons
being served, the types of services currently being provide, and needs for
technical assistance related to provision of services to deaf and
hard-of-hearing students. The study realized an overall response rate of 45
percent.