Development of a Curriculum to Teach the “Soft Skills” Necessary for the Future Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Laboratory Technician Workforce

“Soft skills” are necessary for inclusion in the Chemical Technology (sometimes referred to as Applied Chemistry) or Laboratory Science curriculum because they relate to important topics that can impact not only the program’s graduates, but everyone in their shared laboratory environment. These “soft skills”; which include (to name a few) material safety data sheets (MSDS) documentation and other safety-related knowledge, technical writing skills, and the ability to work as a member of a team are often not fully emphasized within a program’s traditional coursework. These “soft skills” may be especially important for deaf and hard-of-hearing programs, as attempts are to give these students every possible competitive advantage as they will naturally face communication and other barriers. Graduates will need a strong foundation in “soft skills” to help foster their success in the field. A former student in a cooperative work experience (co-op)/internship position had the awkward moment of not knowing how to look up information in an MSDS for a specific chemical. This is a crucial skill that is not only necessary for the chemical technician, but is also a safety risk to the student, as well as to those working in the shared laboratory environment. This problem might not have occurred if this skill was directly taught in the student’s college preparatory coursework.