About PEPNet
PEPNet provides resources and expertise that enhance educational opportunities for people who are deaf or hard of hearing--including those with co-occurring disabilities. PEPNet's national outreach is coordinated through its four regional centers. At the local level, each state's contact person is the gateway to the shared knowledge and best practices of the four regions. PEPNet regional centers work collaboratively to provide a broad variety of best practices & resources where and when you need them to enhance educational opportunities.
PEPNet offers consultation, training, professional development, cutting edge technical assistance and other resources to educational institutions, including-but not limited to:
- Two- and Four-year Colleges
- Universities
- Secondary Education Programs
- Community Rehabilitation Programs
- Continuing Education Programs
- Adult Basic Education Programs
- Vocational and Technical Training Programs
History:
1973
The passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 increased educational opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing students.
1996
The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) funded four regional centers-- California State University-Northridge, Saint Paul Technical College, Seattle Central Community College, and the Postsecondary Education Consortium at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville-- to support the development of a technical assistance and dissemination network to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals serving the increasing number of deaf and hard of hearing students attending more colleges, universities, and technical training programs.
1996
Staff from the four federally-funded regional postsecondary education programs for students met regularly to determine how they could work together to share resources and provide services. The directors of these regional centers coined the name PEPNet.
The first cycle of PEPNet (1996- 2001) funded four regional centers, which included:
- Midwest Center for Postsecondary Outreach (MCPO) at Saint Paul College;
- Northeast Technical Assistance Center (NETAC) at Rochester Institute of Technology;
- Postsecondary Education Consortium (PEC) at the University of Tennessee; and
- Western Region Outreach Center & Consortia (WROCC) at California State University, Northridge.
The Regional Centers worked together during the first and second funding cycles to develop a National Needs Assessment, the PEPNet website, a biennial national conference, satellite uplinks for training workshops, online training programs, and a resource center in addition to providing services within each region.
Today
The PEPNet Regional Centers are currently in their third funding cycle (October 1, 2006 - September 30, 2011), and the OSERS Office of Special Education Programs called for the PEPNet regional centers to cooperatively create a shared identity and develop best practices for ensuring that services are available virtually anywhere within the United States and its territories. OSERS also expanded the group of stakeholders to which PEPNet provides resources to include secondary education staff, students, and parents. These stakeholders are in addition to the stakeholders previously served, which included postsecondary institutions, vocational rehabilitation, and community agency personnel.
PEPNet now provides services that support a deaf or hard of hearing student's transition from high school to advanced educational programs, colleges and universities, and other training programs. PEPNet's regional centers have changed their names to emphasize the shared identity within PEPNet and the ongoing collaboration and coordination of activities and services. The four regional centers are:
- PEPNet-Midwest at Saint Paul College;
- PEPNet-Northeast at Rochester Institute of Technology;
- PEPNet-South at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville;
- PEPNet-West at California State University, Northridge.
Funding:
The Regional Centers are supported by contracts with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Special Education Programs.
Mission Statement:
PEPNet's mission is to improve transition services and educational access for students who are deaf or hard of hearing including those with co-occurring disabilities, thus enhancing educational opportunities.
