Special Education
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
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The DHH program serves deaf and hard of hearing students from 3-22 years old, whose hearing loss range from mild to profound. Students with these low incidence disabilities are provided with specialized support in district schools, special education classrooms, and other community settings. The program currently includes a deaf/hard of hearing special day class for preschool-aged children, as well as itinerant services for students with hearing loss.
Referral for DHH Services
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Students are considered for referral to the DHH Program when district special education personnel complete and submit a DHH Referral Packet to the MCOE Special Education Department. This screening packet is reviewed by a MCOE DHH specialist to provide assistance to the district in determining if an assessment for special education eligibility is appropriate. If the district finds that an assessment is appropriate, then an assessment plan will be developed and sent to the parent or educational rights holder for review and consent.
Helpful DHH Resources:
Role of an Itinerant Deaf/Hard of Hearing Teacher
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An itinerant teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing travels around, visiting multiple deaf and hard of hearing students in local neighborhood school programs. The itinerant acts as a link between the school and family of the deaf or hard of hearing child. The itinerant teacher provides supports to families and students in and outside the classroom to help access the world around them.
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Academic Support
One of the main tasks of the itinerant teacher is to support the student’s academic progress. This support can be given one-on-one outside of the class, providing additional explanation of concepts, reviewing and discussing class assignments, and providing examples and practice in subject matter that is unfamiliar or difficult. Support can also be given within the classroom by assisting students during work groups or in-class assignments, or in informal settings such as playground activities or lunchtime in order to address social and communication skill development.
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Support for School Staff and Parents
Itinerant teachers work closely with classroom instructors, administrators and school staff (including school counselors, speech language pathologists, resource room teachers, interpreters, note takers, signing skills coaches, captionists, audiologists, and audiology technicians) to help meet the needs of Deaf/HH students. They may also meet with parents to review student progress or to address concerns.
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Study and Organizational Skills
Assisting with the development of study skills could include providing strategies for test taking, organizing study materials, taking notes from texts, and maximizing the use of note taker/captioning notes.
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Assessment
Assessment includes evaluating student’s services, placement, and progress, as well as diagnosing student’s achievement for the purpose of identifying IEP goals and teaching strategies.
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Language Intruction
D/HH students may also need support of literacy skills. Itinerant teachers can often spend time working with students on language skill development. This can include English language and vocabulary (idioms, figurative and abstract language) as well as the meaning of unfamiliar language in the curriculum.
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Self-Advocacy Skills
Itinerant teachers provide students with knowledge about their hearing loss, management of assistive devices, including hearing aids, how to use and manage the various services available to them, and how to work with school personnel to help students develop the self-advocacy skills for meeting their needs.
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Managing Communication Needs
The itinerant teacher will work with audiologists and speech language pathologists on Deaf/HH students’ evaluations and interventions, and on appropriate hearing technologies (hearing aids, cochlear implants, FM systems).
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Social Engagement
Because Deaf/HH children are often unable to overhear or participate in many informal conversations at home or with hearing peers, they may be unaware of informal rules for social communication. Itinerant teachers provide intentional instruction and practice regarding conversational rules to facilitate peer and adult interactions at school and work, such as appropriate ways and times to ask questions, how to repair communication breakdowns, how to make friends, be a friend, and other social issues that arise.
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Transition Planning
As students approach graduation from secondary school Itinerant teachers collaborate with the student, the school team and the parents to identify post-secondary goals and appropriate activities to achieve those goals.
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Services
Services for student vary from direct and/or consultation services. These services vary based on the areas of need identified in the student’s IEP.
