The new room, called a "collaboratory," is located in the university's National Center on Deafness and is designed to facilitate communication for deaf and hearing people using the room.

"The collaboratory is a state-of-the-art conference and meeting room that will benefit our students, faculty and staff ‹ both hearing and deaf," said center director Merri C. Pearson. "The room facilitates effective interactions and will level the playing field for all participants."

The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. The National Center on Deafness (NCOD) is located on the east side of the campus off Zelzah Avenue.

The room incorporates linked computers, a "SmartBoard" and an overhead "Elmo" that eliminates the need for transparencies. Sophisticated GroupSystems software allows participants to suggest ideas, discuss, comment, survey and rank them, then vote on a group consensus.

Laptop computers can be stored in built-in drawers under the U-shaped table so participants who communicate using sign language can see one another clearly. There is also an ADA-compliant workstation tray for wheelchair accessibility. Chairs are ergonomic and adjustable for extended multi-day meetings.

The collaboratory can provide an opportunity for both deaf and hearing people to take full part in a meeting. For example, the moderator may pose a question on the central "SmartBoard," then ask participants to type three potential solutions on their individual laptops. The answers are transmitted electronically to the central "SmartBoard" where they may be discussed, prioritized and voted upon. Information may be immediately stored in the server or on disk, eliminating the need for messy posting papers.

"Traditionally, it is difficult for a person who uses sign language to interject into a conversation with hearing people because sign-language interpreters are a bit behind the speakers," said Jennifer P. Olson, special projects administrator for the center. "But with the technology used in the collaboratory, everyone is on an equal playing field. They can type in their comments, which are collected and considered with the group simultaneously."

The National Center on Deafness' nationally recognized support system of notetakers, tutors and interpreters allows CSUN's approximately 250 deaf and hard-of-hearing students to take a full part in university life.

CSUN's population of deaf and hard-of-hearing students is one of the largest at any mainstream university in the United States. The university was among the first to offer services to mainstream these students, beginning in the 1960s. The NCOD was founded in 1972.

California State University, Northridge has more than 30,000 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the third largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."