Hi, all.

D

D46HI

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Hello, everyone. I am an Itinerant teacher of the D/hh in the Chicago area. I'm joining this site because I appreciate everything about the wider culture of the D/d/hh/etc world and I want to make sure I am the best advocate, advice-giver for my students. I am interested in making contacts and definitely practicing my ASL! (I took 4 years in college to prepare for a career in Deaf Ed, and now none of my students sign!) :( I am losing skill quickly.
 
:welcome: to AllDeaf forum. Well, you can start teaching them to sign while you are teaching them subject that you were required to teach. I just hope the Principal of the school are not restricting you from signing to the deaf and hard of hearing students. I am glad that you are here. Have fun reading and posting all the threads here. See you around here. :wave:
 
(I took 4 years in college to prepare for a career in Deaf Ed, and now none of my students sign!)
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Awww that's sad. It might just be your caseload thou. Do you have any students who you think might benifit from ASL instruction? Are you allowed to suggest things like "maybe your kid might benifit from having ASL as a second language? It can really help with social skills.....the very same kids who make fun of us for having a "deaf voice" are often very "OMG ASL is BIG COOL"
But yeah, it's a tricky line to walk.....I do think a lot of oral only kids could benifit from having another tool in their toolbox,(they could function fully both with and without their hearing aids/CIs) but then you would have THOSE PARENTS who insist that their kid doesn't need ASL or that ASL will fuck up their education.
If you have teens on your caseload there is a summer camp at Gally for new signers.
 
Thanks for the welcome everybody! :D

@Bebonang and @deafdyke: Usually by the time I get students (Kindergarten, so 5 or 6), the primary language choice has already been made by parents. My caseload right now is all oral only. I do consult for a teacher who is working with a hearing child with a father who is Deaf - I set up interpreting, etc. for the Dad whenever he visits the school and just give the teacher some things to keep in mind. You'd be surprised how strange an idea it is that she can't call him on the phone! *rolls eyes*

As far as suggesting ASL, I am usually tied to only offering "my professional opinion." :/
 
Oh that's too bad. How many students do you have? That's hard to believe NONE sign. :( That's really sad. Do you mostly have a lot of kids who just need monitoring? Or do you see a lot of kids who are oral but still kind of behind? But I mean on the other hand, that may change. But I mean you do know about the Fourth Grade Glass Ceiling, right? I think that is going to be Sign's saving grace.....the fact that TONS of dhh kids (including the superstars) start having issues in and around fourth grade/middle school. Some things that I would love to see Itinerent Teachers do, are : Tell parents and kids about regional dhh programs. I really do think that a lot of parents are unaware that regional dhh programs might benifit their kids.....and I bet you ANYTHING many of them would be "OMG! It's SO nice dealing with teachers and instructors who actually KNOW how to teach dhh kids. It can be SUPER exasperating dealing with clueless mainstream teachers! Tell them that hoh kids can learn ASL as a second language. A lot of parents may be unaware that Deaf culture is gettting more and more Hoh friendly. I think that is what is really holding many parents back.....not that they're one of THOSE stereotypical pure oral parents, but they're simply unaware that ASL isn't just for voice off or severe/profounder kids. I have a feeling a lot of parents are being told by experts that "oh hoh kids don't "need" ASL and Deaf culture.:roll: Do you have any interaction with the parents at all? I SO wish I could get them to read a.... certain ;) piece in this book...On the Fence: The Hidden World of the Hard of Hearing by Mark Drolsbaugh Harris Communications - Vibrating Alarm Clocks, Loud Telephones and Signalers
I'd also love to see Itenerient Deaf teachers organize get togehters with other dhh kids...like maybe you could organize a weekend or something at the School for the Deaf.
I'd also LOVE it if ID teachers could pass on info about camps and other schools (ie that may have really good dhh programs/services) in the area. Again as a product of a mainstream school, I really do think many parents are unaware that hoh kids can benifit from Deaf Ed. Not nessarily going off to res school (I do think that should always be an option) but more like benifiting from a formal program. Like I bet a lot of oral teens would LOVE the ASL camp at Gally! I mean I know there are kids who are doing really well overall, and are basicly just being monitored. Which is AWESOME. There are kids who would have done well even back before PL 1974 passed......but I know there are tons of kids who are struggling......and I really do think a lot of it is that parents are unaware that Deaf Ed has become VERY hoh friendly! Oh, that and the fact that mainstream schools want the money the dhh kids bring, but they don't give a SHIT about educating them.
 
@Deafdyke - I have 25 kids on my caseload. Many of them are monitoring only type kids. Doing fantastically well academically as long as the accommodations are in place. I do have some students who are hoh as well as have a learning disability, but in those cases I generally fall under "related service" and the classroom special ed teacher defaults for services, etc. Of the 25, only 3 are qualified as "hearing impaired" as their primary disability. Those students also tend to have a secondary SLD or SLI label, so they get additional services. The most difficult ones are the primary HI where I am the only service provider. I feel like there's never enough time to really address what they need. I definitely know this isn't typical, though! I do have contact with majority of my parents. And I am legally obligated to tell them at every annual review meeting that there is an alternate program at the Illinois School for the Deaf, if they so choose to go there. My area is split up sort of weirdly. My district is very mainstream oriented - we have a nearby partner district that does a more "simcom" approach, and then there is ISD, which is about 2 hours away from us. I've tried getting students together, but it's difficult since they're such varying ages. Right now I'm working on creating an online environment for them (using the Facebook-esque Edmodo) where they could go to connect with other hoh kids. I'm going to a conference next week to meet with some other itinerant teachers near my area to try and pitch the idea to them, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

And thanks for the book recommendation! :D I'm always looking for additional materials!
 
I have 25 kids on my caseload. Many of them are monitoring only type kids. Doing fantastically well academically as long as the accommodations are in place. I do have some students who are hoh as well as have a learning disability, but in those cases I generally fall under "related service" and the classroom special ed teacher defaults for services, etc. Of the 25, only 3 are qualified as "hearing impaired" as their primary disability. Those students also tend to have a secondary SLD or SLI label, so they get additional services. The most difficult ones are the primary HI where I am the only service provider. I feel like there's never enough time to really address what they need
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Oh wow.....only 3 are "just dhh?" That's fairly unusual.......You must be iteinrenting in a REALLY good district! What's a SLD or SLI? Speech language disabilty? Speech language impaired?
 
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