Deaf students had a path to science careers -- until their federal grants ended

In the laboratory, Sara Blick-Nitko searches for treatments for cancer. But before she could become a scientist, she had to find what deaf people like her call the "Deaf Scientist Pipeline."

The federal grants that make up that pipeline helped her earn a Ph.D., begin her post-doctoral research and overcome the multiple barriers that historically keep deaf students from becoming scientists.

"Growing up, I never met another deaf person working in the science field," says Blick-Nitko. "I didn't see role models."

Now, though, the path that worked for Blick-Nitko has ended.

Over the past several weeks, the Trump administration canceled a series of education grants that provided opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. These include the science grants that made up the Deaf Scientist Pipeline. Those paid for things like scholarships, mentorship programs, sign language interpretation, stipends for research supplies and travel to professional conferences.

Another program, canceled by the Trump administration, paid for graduate school scholarships to fill the shortage of teachers of the deaf.

These are small programs, a few million dollars a year for each. University officials and students say federal agencies gave vague explanations for ending the programs, saying they were no longer aligned with administration priorities.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/28/nx-s1-5357617/federal-deaf-scientists-cuts-nih-education

It's al part of their "war on DEI". Just shove these folks in a corner and pretend they don't exist.