Respondents at institutions that had enrolled any deaf or hard of hearing students in the last 4 academic years (1989-90 through 1992-93) were asked whether, during that time, their institution had been asked to provide any support services to deaf and hard of hearing students that the institution was unable to provide, either at all or at the level requested. About one in five (18 percent) of the institutions that had enrolled any deaf or hard of hearing students in the last 4 academic years had been unable to provide one or more requested support services to deaf and hard of hearing students (Figure 5). Fourteen percent of the institutions that had enrolled any deaf or hard of hearing students in the last 4 academic years had been unable to provide sign language interpreters; 6 percent had been unable to provide assistive listening devices; 4 percent had problems providing tutors to assist with ongoing coursework; 3 percent had been unable to provide classroom notetakers; 3 percent had problems providing oral interpreters; and 2 percent had been unable to provide some other requested service. Reasons cited frequently for being unable to provide sign language and oral interpreters were that there were not enough qualified personnel and that qualified personnel take better jobs outside the institution.10 Frequently cited reasons for being unable to provide assistive listening devices were that the necessary equipment was not available and that money to provide the service was not available. A commonly mentioned reason for problems providing classroom notetakers, tutors, and other support services was that the money to provide the service was not available.
10The Percentage of institutions citing each reason for problems providing specific services M not given, because them were too few cases for such analyses.