The Deaf and Hard of

Hearing
Abigail Griffith
Ivy Tech Community College

What does is mean to be Deaf

or Hard of hearing?

Someone with a hearing disability whos

unable to hear like others around them do.

Different types of Hearing loss

Permanent/Profound- Not able to hear anything

Fluctuating/Mild- Has hearing problems but

still able to hear certain things

Communication

Oral Communication- communicating through

words

Sign language- communicating through hand

motions

Lip Reading- understanding through reading the

lips of the one talking

School
There are three things a student must qualify
under to be considered hearing impaired
and eligible for special education.

1.

The assessment of current academics,

Functional skills, and their preferred way
of communication.

2.

A social and developmental history.

3. A written report from a qualified person

such as an educator, clinical audiologist or
someone who has information about the
students, communication, social
interaction, and motor skills, responses to
sensory experiences and relevant responses
to family and environmental situations
(Education,2010).

Schools for those with

Hearing Disabilities
1. Deaf schools- specially prepared and
focused for students with various hearing
disabilities.

2. Inclusive schools- School that combine and

teach students with and without disabilities
together.

One of the controversies with Inclusive

schools is the thought, should interpreters
be used in place of teachers?

Interpreters are not teachers. It is ridiculous

that an IEP team would design an education
plan that does not specify a teacher. In your
sons case, it needs to be a teacher who
speaks the same language as your son
(Whitney,2009).

They say a teacher with no degree shouldnt

teach in the schools an interpreter with no
degree in teaching shouldnt be relied on to
teach.

Things to consider in a
classroom

1. Clear visibility of the teacher

2. Spot with decent light and little noise

3. A qualified interpreter

4. Speech to Text Translation systems- When

the speaker talks their words appear on a
screen for the listener to read
(Salend,2011)

5.Cochlear Implant- A device which is used

to help aid hearing. It is not always
successful though and is a topic of strong
opinion

A student may have trouble hearing but that

doesnt mean that they have to have
trouble learning.

Works Cited
Indiana Stateboard Education.(2010). Special
education rules Title 411 Article 7, p.79.
Salend, S. J. (2011). Creating Inclusive
Classrooms. In S. J. Salend. Upper Saddle River:
Pearson.
Whitney, S. (2009, August 13). Interpreter as
Teacher? Not in IDEA. Retrieved from
Wrightslaw.com:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=1088