ties, Fellows were asked to reflect upon their
thoughts about the NLCSD model of doctoral
education. Regarding collaboration between the
fields of sensory disabilities, one Fellow stated:
"The strongest characteristic of NLCSD
is the lifelong connections that have been
forged, within and between the communities
of professionals in deafness, blindness, and
deaf-blindness. I would expect to see increased collaboration throughout our fields
in years to come, as a direct result of the
NLCSD project."
Another Fellow commented on the networking
opportunities both with Fellows and faculty members at universities outside of the Fellow's home
institution:
"The NLCSD Enrichment program has provided the Fellows with unique opportunities
to connect with other graduate students
working in the field of low-incidence disabilities and with leaders in our fields. This opportunity to learn alongside other PhD students, future colleagues in the field of lowincidence disabilities, has been an amazing
experience."
The Enrichment Program's focus on research in
sensory disabilities was another cited strength of
the model:
"While Ph.D. programs require coursework
in some type of research methods at some
point in the process, the NLCSD fellowship
gave me a jump-start by introducing and
emphasizing quality indicators for research
methodology from the very beginning. My
coursework was also enhanced in that the
NLCSD units were presented by researchers in sensory disabilities who were able to
relate the methodologies directly to questions in the field."
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