Twenty students were interviewed after transferring to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) from colleges that offered no specialized programs for hearing-impaired students. The students reported that previous teachers were not aware of their learning needs, reading materials were difficult to comprehend, classes were too large and fast-paced, and support services were inadequate. Students chose NTID because of its wide range of educational programming in technical fields, its reputation for providing a good education, and the unique social environment with both hearing-impaired and hearing students. The students felt that NTID teachers understood the needs of deaf learners and that classes were small and slower-paced, focused more on applied rather than theoretical instruction, and used easier reading materials. Based on information from the interviews and supported by findings from other research, a postsecondary educational model is proposed that provides a continuum of educational opportunities, ranging from the "special" classroom to a totally mainstreamed environment with only basic communication supports required by the student. Elements highlighted in the model include teacher-student interaction and modified curricula, class size, support services, and the size of the hearing-impaired student body. (JDD)