Representatives from ACC and Civication sign the agreement.

The Austin Community College District is partnering with the civic learning organization Civication, Inc., to produce a news program designed for Deaf and hard of hearing viewers.

ACCESS News is a half-hour program presented inAmerican Sign Language, English, and closed captioning. ACC is teaming with Civication for the show’s second season.

Last season, host Tamara Suiter-Ocuto interviewed a range of guests, including Congressman Michael McCaul, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ken Herman. Don Miller, associate professor of English for speakers of other languages at ACC, presents a civic learning segment during each episode.

“Deaf education and culture are growing in Austin, and we are proud to help bring this resource to the community,” says Lyman Grant, dean of arts and humanities at ACC. “ACCESS News is a quality program that inspires intellectual discussions on topics that are engaging, relevant, and important for all viewers, whether they are Deaf or hearing.”

The upcoming season of ACCESS News will tape at ACC’s production studios at Pinnacle Campus, with episodes expected to air on KLRU this fall.

The college serves as a regional center for Gallaudet University, the world’s only university in which all programs are specifically designed for Deaf and hard of hearing students. ACC has a number of education programs and services for Deaf students and those preparing for careers working with the Deaf community. The college has more than 200 Deaf or hard of hearing students, and several faculty members graduated from Gallaudet University.

“The collaboration between ACC and ACCESS News will help make our program more accessible to those in the community,” says Ken Hurley, director of Civication. “It also presents learning opportunities for students in different departments within the college. We couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity.”

ACCESS News is funded by the Knight Community Information Needs Challenge Grant, offered by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The program also is supported by the Austin Community Foundation.

View past episodes on the ACCESS News website.