The Michigan Department of Education (MDE), in partnership with several institutions of higher education, offers the opportunity for Michigan-certified teachers to earn an endorsement in deaf/hard of hearing or visual impairment.
The Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) Consortium for Teacher Preparation currently has 33 candidates enrolled. During the 2024–2025 school year, 4 candidates completed the program and qualified for the endorsement. There are 25 candidates currently active in the Visual Impairment (VI) Consortium for Teacher Preparation, and 7 candidates completed the program during the last year.
We continue to expand the consortia to provide a range of coursework options for candidates. Gallaudet University is our newest partner in the DHH Consortium, joining Aquinas College, Minot State University, Saginaw Valley State University, Saint Joseph’s University, Texas Woman’s University, University of Northern Colorado, and Valdosta State University. In the VI Consortium, Illinois State University and Texas Tech University join the list of long-term university partners: University of Arizona, University of Kentucky, University of Massachusetts, and Western Michigan University.
We are excited to welcome our newest university partners, and we are grateful for the ongoing contributions of all members of the consortia. These partnerships are essential to the success of the program.