Research Interests and Expertise
Tia Ivanko, M.S., NIC, ADAC, is an educator passionate about addressing inequities in education for deaf learners. She is committed to improving systems and increasing the professional capacity of people and entities who provide services for deaf communities.
As Co-Director and Co-Principal Investigator at the National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes (NDC), Ivanko works in tandem with Co-Director Carrie Lou Bloom to manage the organization, leading professional development initiatives, the NDC | help team and technical assistance services, staff development, and project workflows.
As a certified ADA coordinator (ADAC) and nationally certified interpreter (NIC), Ivanko brings a deep knowledge of accessibility and professional practices from the interpreting field to technical assistance work. Ivanko is an experienced trainer and mentor to professionals working in education settings and providing services to deaf communities. She is particularly interested in increasing opportunities and representation of Black and Brown professionals in fields serving deaf communities.
Ivanko is passionate about people. People and relationships have always been central to her engagement with deaf communities. Her professional expertise, community connections, and personal interest in culture and community building drive her commitment to improving postsecondary experiences for deaf people.
Ivanko steadily advanced to her current role, serving in her third 5-year cycle under the OSEP funding line. She is committed to strengthening accessibility policies and practices, as well as designing innovative professional development for practitioners in the field. Before this technical assistance work, she coordinated deaf services at a community college, managed a collegiate program for deaf students, worked as a freelance sign language interpreter, and started her career as a teacher of the deaf.
Boards, Committees, and Associations
- Certified Member, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
- Member, Association on Higher Education and Disability
- Member, National Association of Interpreters in Education
- Council Member, Turtle Island Hand Talk
- Advisory Council Member, IRIS Project, University of Northern Colorado
Representative Publication
Palmer, J. L., Cawthon, S. W., Garberoglio, C. L., & Ivanko, T. (2019). ACCESS is more than accommodations: 2018–2019 deaf college student national accessibility report. National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes, The University of Texas at Austin.