Sharing Ideas, Sharing Connections, Sharing Communication

How do we ensure that deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing students have the best experience at Saint Paul College (SPC)? On April 13, 2026, SPC, with support from the Perkins Grant, held a career sampler for Metro Deaf School students. Alyssa Mettler, Assistant Director of College Partnerships, coordinated with Workforce and faculty to create a Career Sampler based on Metro Deaf School’s input about student interests. The students worked on a hands-on project, toured campus spaces, ate lunch, and met faculty. Six interpreters, including two who were deaf, supported the students through the hands-on exploration.

Career Exploration with Metro Deaf School Students

A student wearing safety glasses operates a woodworking machine in a shop classroom. The student guides a piece of wood across the machine’s surface while a large yellow dust-collection hose arches overhead. Additional woodworking equipment is visible throughout the workshop.
Two students work on a woodworking project at a large workbench. In the foreground, one student applies glue to a wood piece, while another student stands nearby holding project materials. The workshop contains tools, workstations, and safety equipment in the background.

SPC regularly provides ASL interpreters upon request, but this visit required additional interpreters and specific accommodations for Metro Deaf School students. Otherwise, it ran like the other career samplers. Margaret Montegomery, SPC’s lead ASL interpreter, addressed these accommodations to ensure accessibility while maintaining the typical structure of the experience.

Margaret coordinated accessible communication and developed a “best practices” guide for faculty. Some instructors had prior experience, but the main preparation was through Margaret’s handout. She also ensured quality interpreters. With six interpreters, students formed smaller groups and could engage more easily. Two deaf interpreters supported multilingual students and those new to interpreters. One student was deafblind and required two interpreters, highlighting the need for individualized planning.

For hands-on activities, safety and accessibility were carefully considered. Welding was excluded due to communication barriers with protective gear, so each student assembled a stool in Cabinetmaking, maintaining open communication and safety.

Addressing Challenges and Building Partnerships

Metro Deaf School staff wanted students to see a tangible path from high school to careers, making concepts like math relevant through real projects. Their long-term goal is to offer trades courses taught by deaf instructors, and this partnership is a first step. The main takeaway for SPC is that the sampler was a valuable learning experience for serving students with diverse needs.

Margaret was on-site to troubleshoot the day’s immediate needs. This is what she said of her role:

Being there as a coordinator allowed me to take a macro-level view of communication needs and showed SPC doesn’t see language access as one-size-fits-all. I took notes, got feedback, and adjusted as needs arose. We aimed to be as responsive as possible to this group.

Margaret Montegomery

Lead ASL Interpreter

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Metro Deaf School staff wrote,

Thank you again for coordinating the tour—it really was one of the best experiences our students have had. Even with the accommodation challenges, the students stayed engaged the whole time. Everything was planned so well. We really appreciated the CDI interpreters, and the professors were incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming. The hands-on activity was a great fit for our group, and the free cafeteria food was a thoughtful touch.

Metro Deaf School

The visit showed that access is not one-size-fits-all. It requires planning, listening, flexibility, and partnership. For SPC, the Career Sampler was both an opportunity to welcome Metro Deaf School students and to improve how the college supports deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing learners.

Learn more about SPC’s access and disability resources.