(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — When Antonio “Toni” Heckstall arrived at Gallaudet University as a freshman in 2016, he quickly realized the transition would be challenging. The word “turbulent” best described his experience as he adjusted to the dynamics of a predominantly Deaf university. As a hard-of-hearing student with partial hearing loss, he was transitioning from mainstream environments in Atlanta to a predominantly Deaf community for the first time. It was an adjustment not just academically, but socially and culturally.
He struggled to find his place in a setting where peers primarily communicated using American Sign Language instead of spoken English. He felt disconnected from both multigenerational Deaf students from signing families and Deaf schools, as well as oral students, because he had a certain firmness in his Deaf identity that he felt they lacked. As a Black and Puerto Rican low-income student, he also felt out of place at a university where privilege shaped many students’ experiences.
Despite numerous challenges, Heckstall found a small group of self-described “misfits” like him, some were hearing, while others were Deaf and used cochlear implants or hearing aids. He relied on this group for support through academic struggles, major changes, and mental health battles. But over time, a chain of events gradually broke down his hope of staying at Gallaudet.
In 2018, one weekend, white students walked around campus in blackface, signing the N-word, an incident that made him consider transferring to Howard University. Later, when he declared a pre-med major, the dean of the science department questioned his ability to afford medical school based on his demographic and socioeconomic background.
“My desires and hopes were deflated, and I did not go pre-med,” he said. “I always felt as if I was the odd one out in every room I walked into, whether it was because of my hearing status, my signing level, my skin color, or my spiritual identity. I still hold on to the belief that if I had a more positive experience, I could have graduated.”
Gallaudet University is the only higher education institution in the world specifically designed for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Celebrated as a cultural and academic haven for the Deaf community, it represents opportunity, identity, and empowerment. But for Deaf and hard-of-hearing Black students, particularly Black men like Heckstall, graduation remains an uphill battle.
To understand the factors contributing to low graduation rates, The Click obtained data on graduation, dismissal, withdrawal, and retention from Gallaudet from Fall 2014 to Fall 2024 to analyze long-term trends. The Click also interviewed members of the school community, including a former hard-of-hearing student who left Gallaudet before earning a degree, a current hard-of-hearing student who graduated in May 2025, a faculty member familiar with retention challenges, a lecturer in Deaf Studies at Boston University Wheelock College, and a representative from the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC).
The university’s own data shows that between 2014 and 2018, the average six-year graduation rate, the percentage of students who graduate within six years of starting, for Black Deaf and hard-of-hearing men was just 26.8%, meaning three out of every four Black men would not go on to graduate. This rate peaked at 33% in both Fall 2014 and Fall 2015 but fell sharply to less than 15% by Fall 2018. In most years during this period, the graduation rate remained below 30%. Compared with their peers, Black Deaf and hard-of-hearing men face a significant graduation gap. White and Latino Deaf and hard-of-hearing men are nearly twice as likely to earn a degree within six years.
Tia Ivanko, a co-director at the NDC, said many colleges lack the resources to fully support Deaf students, particularly the unique needs of Black Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. “Success in higher education requires student preparation and institutional readiness, students need support to navigate college, while institutions must create an inclusive environment where Black Deaf students can thrive.”
Barriers to success
Heckstall attended Gallaudet twice, first from 2016 to 2018, and again from 2021 to 2023. Financial difficulties ultimately led to his decision to leave. With federal aid running out and no way to sustain a job while studying full-time, he left Gallaudet in 2023.
“Leaving without a degree makes me feel like I’ll never be on the same level as my peers who graduated,” he said. “I still hold on to the belief that if I had a more positive experience, I could have graduated.”
Heckstall left Gallaudet in 2018 to care for his sick grandmother in Georgia. During that period, he briefly attended culinary school and worked as a shift manager at Arby’s. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he was laid off. He later discovered that Gallaudet had lowered the debt limit for former students returning to finish their degrees from $5,000 to $2,000. Motivated by this change, he returned to Gallaudet in 2021, but he soon faced intersecting challenges.
Heckstall tried to balance work and school while meeting assignment deadlines. Despite his efforts, professors often denied his requests for extensions on tests. While he received some accommodations, such as ASL interpreters, many students struggled to access or maintain the support they needed. Several of his Deaf friends experienced similar obstacles, being told their ASL skills were inadequate and promised interpreter access during classes, interpreters who often didn’t attend, leaving students lost for entire semesters.
Once, while having lunch in the cafeteria, Heckstall tried to engage a fellow Deaf student in conversation, curious about their background. But when he revealed that he was hard-of-hearing, the student responded with visible contempt and left the table.
Foluso Adeluola, a hard-of-hearing student from Nigeria who graduated in May 2025, recalled struggling to keep up in class as many professors overlooked his communication needs. “It’s moments like these that make me feel invisible, that lead to stress and a lot of self-doubt,” he said. He also described explaining his financial stress to a staff member, who told him to “just ask [his] family to send more money,” a response he called tone-deaf and dismissive.
Financial challenges compounded the barriers. Gallaudet charges international students like Adeluola $13,716 per semester, while those from non-developing countries pay $18,288, more than double the $9,144 in-state rate for U.S. students. Additional mandatory fees bring the total estimated cost for undergraduates to $40,730 per year. According to Inside Higher Ed, 77% of Black Deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Gallaudet receive Pell Grants, compared to 85% of white Deaf undergraduates.
The role of BASL and identity
Language is central to life at Gallaudet, but for many Black Deaf and hard-of-hearing male students, that connection often involves tension surrounding race, identity, and the institution’s “white-centered culture.” Franklin Jones, Jr., a lecturer in Deaf Studies at Boston University Wheelock College, said curricula, teaching methods, and materials reflect white cultural norms, leaving little room for Black Deaf history or culture. Black American Sign Language (BASL), influenced by African American Vernacular English, is often misunderstood, and students face pressure to conform to standard ASL.
Dr. Joseph Hill, a linguistics professor at Gallaudet, emphasized that BASL is not monolithic. He believes culturally responsive practices would help students feel comfortable and connected, even as anti-DEI directives make navigating identity in the classroom tougher.
Beyond the diploma
Adeluola credits friends and student groups for support that helped him graduate. “Graduating should be the norm, not exceptional,” he said. Nationally, only 16.2% of Black Deaf people hold a bachelor’s degree, compared to 28% of Black hearing people.
Heckstall has found fulfillment in the culinary world in Lawrenceville, Georgia, working full-time and pursuing an online culinary diploma. “I feel that had I had more confidence at Gallaudet, I could have flourished more. Nevertheless, I’m very happy with where I am now.” He dreams of opening his own restaurant, a space to celebrate culture and creativity through food.
Alaysia Lane is a multimedia journalist and commerce writer based in Minneapolis
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story misstated Foluso Adeluola’s graduation date. At the time of publishing, he had graduated from Gallaudet University in May 2025.