Hi! I’m not a 2026 parent but ended up here thanks to SpreadsheetMom tagging me in her post. My son just started his 4th year at RIT/NTID. He’s in a 5 year program (1 year of coop) for Software Engineering, so he is what is called a cross-registered student – his degree will come from RIT but he has all of the NTID supports. And yes, their support is amazing. I’m happy to message you directly and I’ve also written a few posts on this site here and there about how amazing RIT has been for my son so if you can search for my past posts, you should find them.
Just a little background because your feelings are touching a nerve with me…. We didn’t know my son had hearing issues until he resoundingly failed the Kindergarten hearing screening - his development was normal and he talked and interacted fine, but apparently he just copes very well. So well that I was in denial for a few years and refused to get him hearing aids until 3rd grade, when the audiologist actually put me in the booth and adjusted the settings to let me hear what he was actually hearing – that was a huge shock because it was so much worse than I ever imagined – did I mention that he copes very well?!?! Then he hated them - and got bullied for them - so he flat out refused to wear them and every day was a huge battle. I finally made a deal with him in middle school that if his grades stayed up, he wouldn’t have to wear them, and he was a straight A student all the way through high school. But now, at RIT, where over 10% of the student body is deaf/hoh, he has started wearing them because he no longer feels like the odd man out – and he tells me it is so much easier to get through life with them that he wishes he had worn them sooner. He goes to deaf culture events and has learned sign language and the school as a whole embraces the hard of hearing population - everyone signs along with their chants at hockey games etc. Anyhow, I won’t waste any more of everyone’s time talking about how much I love RIT and how awesome it has been for my son – it’s a really amazing school and I’d definitely recommend it hands down for kids with hearing issues but also for kids who are quirky/nerdy/different and never really felt like they fit anywhere…..because it’s the kind of school where almost everyone is like that and so everyone finally feels like they have found their people.
Feel free to message me if you want more info or have more questions. I’m happy to share all the details! And good luck to everyone on this thread - enjoy the ride!