National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Dr. Rico Peterson is Assistant Dean and Director of Access Services at NTID. In this role, he oversees the work of more than 180 interpreters and captionists and hundreds of notetakers on campus who provide communication access and support for NTID and RIT students, faculty, staff, and community.

Peterson was Chair of  NTID’s American Sign Language and Interpreting Education Department from 2000 to 2005 before joining Northeastern University as an Associate Professor in their nationally accredited ASL Interpreting program.

A native of East Rochester, Peterson received a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from Nazareth College, an MFA in Theater/Playwriting from UCLA, and a Ph.D. in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from the University of California Riverside. He is the author of The Unlearning Curve: Learning to Learn American Sign Language and a co-author of ASL at Work.