Breaking Barriers

UTA is a place where anyone can pursue their higher education goals. Lei-Sea Sky, a social work and political science student, is doing her part to show just that.

Sky, a Deaf individual, is making history as UTA’s first Deaf student mentor, collaborating with departments to enhance accessibility for the Deaf community and ensuring other Deaf students have equal access to UTA’s opportunities.

“As a Deaf individual, I’ve faced unique challenges, and that’s given me a profound understanding of the barriers Deaf and hard-of-hearing students encounter in higher education,” Sky says. “It’s not just about mentorship. I want to advocate for the accessibility that the Deaf community rightfully deserves.”

Sky adds that the existence of her role as a Deaf student mentor shows how far UTA has come.

“I am not only a trailblazer, but a symbol of progress at UTA, and my appointment as the first Deaf student mentor is a historic milestone in the realm of equal access,” Sky says.

In addition to creating the Deaf student mentor role, UTA launched a new minor in American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Studies last fall. The first of its kind in DFW, the minor will focus on ASL receptive and expressive language skills and will offer advanced classes in theory related to the ASL language, Deaf culture, and ASL linguistics.