The 2017 Scholars comprise the second cohort of five funded by a grant from the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The grant supports Fontbonne’s Master of Arts in Deaf Education collaborative program serving students in the northeast United States. The program is offered in partnership with the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, which has schools in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Northampton, Mass. Students who live in or near these cities can benefit from a Fontbonne education through synchronous distance learning such as video conferences, interactive webinars, and broadcast lectures – all in real-time as they are delivered to local Fontbonne students.