National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes

What National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes does

The National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC) is a federally funded technical assistance center established in 2017 and housed within The University of Texas at Austin's Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk. NDC is funded entirely by a U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) grant (#H326D210002) and operates from Austin, Texas, with a staff of 11–50 employees. Its mandate is to improve college completion, employment, and earnings outcomes for deaf individuals in the United States, who historically underperform hearing peers on these metrics. The organization provides free resources, training, and individualized support to deaf students, educators, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and disability services professionals across all 50 states plus U.S. Pacific territories.

NDC's product portfolio is anchored on four core assets: (1) a free self-paced Online Learning platform covering topics such as Deaf 101, instructional strategies, accommodations, and notetaker training, with 17,000+ cumulative enrollments; (2) Deafverse, described as the world's first ASL-accessible choose-your-own-adventure educational game, with three titles and 5,000+ players; (3) a national Data Dashboard built on American Community Survey data tracking deaf employment, earnings, college enrollment, and educational attainment; and (4) a comprehensive Resources Library covering access, accommodations, transition planning, and deaf awareness, with 230,000+ downloads. Supporting offerings include a Certificate Program for VR counselors, webinars, a media library, and individualized support via the NDC Help Team. Distribution is entirely free and self-serve via nationaldeafcenter.org, supplemented by state-level training partnerships, conferences, and community conversations.

The business model is non-commercial grant administration. All services are provided at no charge to end users, including students, families, educators, and VR professionals. Revenue is derived solely from the federal OSEP cooperative agreement, with no disclosed earned income, tuition, or commercial licensing. Go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven: NDC engages through digital channels (website, social, newsletters, webinars), community conversations with deaf stakeholders and state leaders (130+ state leaders, 700+ community participants), and formal training partnerships with state education agencies, VR agencies, and institutions of higher education. Strategic differentiation rests on deaf-centered practices, federally mandated authority, and a national outcome data asset that is rare within the U.S. deaf education ecosystem.

Name

National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes

Legal name

The University of Texas at Austin / The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk

Website

https://nationaldeafcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes is a federally funded (U.S. Department of Education OSEP) technical assistance center at UT Austin that provides free training, resources, and direct support to deaf students, educators, VR counselors, and disability services professionals to improve postsecondary college, career, and employment outcomes for deaf people across the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Deaf Education and Postsecondary Disability Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Note-Taking, Interpreting & Communication Access Services (EDALAGAD), Accessibility, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Content Services (EDAGAKAJ), Open Accessibility & Inclusive OER (UDL, alt formats) (EDAGAJAJ)

Keywords

• Deaf education resources
• Postsecondary disability services
• Vocational rehabilitation training
• Accessible learning platforms
• Deaf community support

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grant Funding: NDC is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, OSEP #H326D210002, administered by The University of Texas at Austin. All resources and services are provided free of charge to users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NDC provides free online learning modules, professional development certificate programs, the Deafverse ASL-accessible educational game, an interactive Data Dashboard, an extensive Resources Library, webinars, and individualized support to improve postsecondary outcomes for deaf people. Its offerings target three primary audiences: deaf students transitioning to college or careers, Disability Services (DSS) professionals at colleges, and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors. All products and services are provided at no cost to users, funded through a U.S. Department of Education OSEP grant administered by The University of Texas at Austin.

Product overview

National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes is a resource and training organization under the University of Texas at Austin that provides a comprehensive suite of products and services to improve postsecondary outcomes for deaf people. The core offerings include: (1) Online Learning Modules and a Certificate Program for professional development of educators, VR counselors, and disability services professionals; (2) Deafverse, the world's first ASL-accessible educational game with multiple adventure titles; (3) a Data Dashboard visualizing employment and education statistics; (4) a Resources Library with guides, templates, and publications on access and accommodations, research, transition planning, and deaf awareness; (5) a Media Library of educational videos; (6) Webinars led by experts; and (7) individualized support from the NDC Help Team. Additional sub-products include testing accommodation guides, evaluation tools for disability services offices, speech-to-text service guidance (CART, C-Print, TypeWell), interpreting coordination resources, and student planning guides.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deafverse: A choose-your-own-adventure game that helps deaf youth build self-advocacy skills. Includes titles like Legends of the Eldertree, Revenge of the Deep, and Duel of the Bots.
• Deafverse.com

Products and services

• Online Learning Modules Free self-paced professional development courses supporting deaf students, covering topics such as Deaf 101, Instructional Strategies for Deaf Student Success, Foundations of Effective Accommodations, and Note Taker Training. Designed for educators, VR counselors, and disability services professionals.
• Deafverse The world's first ASL-accessible educational game that helps deaf youth build self-advocacy skills through interactive storytelling. Includes adventure titles such as Legends of the Eldertree, Revenge of the Deep, and Duel of the Bots. Targets deaf youth transitioning to college or careers.
• Certificate Program Professional development certificate program for Vocational Rehabilitation counselors and professionals, focusing on deaf-centered practices through coaching and self-paced learning.
• Data Dashboard Interactive data visualization tool tracking postsecondary outcomes for deaf people in the U.S., featuring statistics on employment, earnings, college enrollment, and educational attainment from the American Community Survey. Used by researchers, policymakers, educators, and the deaf community.
• Resources Library Comprehensive free resource collection covering Access and Accommodations, Research and Data, Transition planning, and Deaf Awareness; includes guides, templates, evaluation tools, accommodations meeting templates, testing accommodations guides, planning guides for certification and licensure exams, and speech-to-text services guidance (CART, C-Print, TypeWell).
• Media Library Video library featuring real stories shared by deaf people across the country, along with educational and informational content created by the NDC team.
• Webinars Expert-led virtual sessions diving into new research and resources, enabling engagement with other professionals in the deaf education field.
• NDC Help Team Support Individualized support team providing customized assistance, strategies, and resources to help improve postsecondary outcomes for deaf people. Available to institutions and individuals seeking tailored guidance.
• Notetaking Support Modules New training modules released in 2025 to help campuses strengthen notetaking systems and train notetakers to better support access for deaf students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 57.7% deaf adult employment rate achieved (historic high)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guam Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026NDC partnered with Guam DOE to strengthen deaf community access through coordinated systems, training, and shared leadership. The partnership enhanced professional development for educational interpreters and bridged gaps through coordination with key partners.
• Guam Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC supported the Career Tech Deaf Academy program and opened opportunities for interpreting students to engage in real-world training situations that strengthen access for deaf individuals.
• University of GuamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC continues supporting Language Access Plan strengthening efforts alongside island leaders as work moves forward with University of Guam.
• Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC conducted deaf awareness training and classroom strategy sessions with educators, aides, and interpreters in Saipan to build capacity serving deaf students.
• University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC is housed within the College of Education at UT Austin, part of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk.
• Ironworker Skills Institute (ISI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing apprenticeship program for deaf high school students from Alabama School for the Deaf to learn skilled trades with VR services support.
• Vocational Rehabilitation AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC provides training and resources for VR counselors to implement deaf-centered practices through coaching and self-paced learning programs.
• Guam System for Assistive Technology (GSAT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDC participated in GSAT's 32nd Annual Assistive Technology Conference addressing Guam's geographic isolation challenges for deaf individuals.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xthreads.com/@nationaldeafcenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/NationalDeafCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationaldeafcenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nationaldeafcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationaldeafcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes