resource teacher vs teacher of the deaf

[chunkymonkey]

I have a basic question. I am a teacher of the deaf as well as being deaf myself, in a public school system. The trend is that the students with hearing impairment are recieving education services from a resource teacher and/or a special education teacher. Is there some law or something that states the child is to recieve services from the teacher of the deaf for academics only and not resource or special education teacher? I need to find that law or whatever to protect the students who are hearing impaired or deaf. Please help

 

[jillio]

This is where the IEP and the least restrictive environment and appropriate services come into play. When parents sign off on IEPs that provide services through a resource or a special ed teacher, they are giving permission for the school to provide less than appropriate placement for their child. If they will refuse to sign, and take it to due process, this is one of those things that is easily rectified. The ADA and IDEA state that if the district cannot provide appropriate services, they must pay for those services to be provided in another setting. Resource and special ed teachers are not the appropriate placement for deaf children. They are not learning disabled, nor do they have cognitive impairments. We have to get the parents to understand that and refuse to sign the IEP. The school will always do what is most convenient, and in the case of a deaf student, that is often not the appropriate placement.

 

[sata_rupa_tara]

Jillio was totally correct except - Only thing I can add is that the entire motive for placing DHH children in a General SPED ( special ed) class instead of a special day class with a teacher of the deaf is MONEY.
This is one of the biggest problems with the education of our deaf / hard of hearing children, and for some reason parents are resistant to going to mediation and due process to FORCE the schools to do what the Federal Law mandates. I finally have a special ed lawyer for my 14 year old son going after the two school districts responsible for his inability to form a sentence properly, failing to give him the number of speech sessions stated on his IEP, providing speech services with an idiot who was pane-miming to him and using the other less deaf students as asl interpreters, being a year out of compliance to do a full academic assessment ( which I requested as he was leaving elementary school, 3 years behind in reading and writing) the list goes on! The schools DO NOT CARE about the deaf students, they purely accommodate them into illiteracy. They make sure that they have at least D's on their report cards so that they can make the case that they have made " adequate academic gain" - that is their legal buzz word for " hey look, they did not fail, they can graduate and we can be done with them.
Can you tell I am totally insanely angry over this???
They don't even care that our children are learning TWO languages at once in those general sped classes, in fact most of the teachers have no freeking clue. I explained to my sons sped language arts ( english) teacher that for each vocabulary word that he learns in English he has to learn a conceptual asl sign for it as well, and that is what he was being taught in pre-teaching that he had before the district cut it. Her suggestion was that the interpreter teach him the words ! I pointed out that the interpreter is not an educator, she is here to tell you what my son is saying and tell him what you are saying. She said oh and changed the subject.

 

[shel90]

That's why I couldnt work for the public school programs. bleh!

 

[Elliotts Dad]

This is where the IEP and the least restrictive environment and appropriate services come into play. When parents sign off on IEPs that provide services through a resource or a special ed teacher, they are giving permission for the school to provide less than appropriate placement for their child. If they will refuse to sign, and take it to due process, this is one of those things that is easily rectified. The ADA and IDEA state that if the district cannot provide appropriate services, they must pay for those services to be provided in another setting. Resource and special ed teachers are not the appropriate placement for deaf children. They are not learning disabled, nor do they have cognitive impairments. We have to get the parents to understand that and refuse to sign the IEP. The school will always do what is most convenient, and in the case of a deaf student, that is often not the appropriate placement.

This has me curious now as to what I should be looking for at our son's first IEP next week. He is going to be starting 3 year old preschool early (he has been seeing a SLP through EI and they are getting him in a year early). It is a good but fairly small school and I do know that they have a SLP on staff as well as someone who specifically works with hearing impaired kids. All this has kind of hit us pretty fast as he was just recently diagnosed (moderate-severe, severe) and is being fitted for HA's this Friday.

 

[jillio]

Jillio was totally correct except - Only thing I can add is that the entire motive for placing DHH children in a General SPED ( special ed) class instead of a special day class with a teacher of the deaf is MONEY.
This is one of the biggest problems with the education of our deaf / hard of hearing children, and for some reason parents are resistant to going to mediation and due process to FORCE the schools to do what the Federal Law mandates. I finally have a special ed lawyer for my 14 year old son going after the two school districts responsible for his inability to form a sentence properly, failing to give him the number of speech sessions stated on his IEP, providing speech services with an idiot who was pane-miming to him and using the other less deaf students as asl interpreters, being a year out of compliance to do a full academic assessment ( which I requested as he was leaving elementary school, 3 years behind in reading and writing) the list goes on! The schools DO NOT CARE about the deaf students, they purely accommodate them into illiteracy. They make sure that they have at least D's on their report cards so that they can make the case that they have made " adequate academic gain" - that is their legal buzz word for " hey look, they did not fail, they can graduate and we can be done with them.
Can you tell I am totally insanely angry over this???
They don't even care that our children are learning TWO languages at once in those general sped classes, in fact most of the teachers have no freeking clue. I explained to my sons sped language arts ( english) teacher that for each vocabulary word that he learns in English he has to learn a conceptual asl sign for it as well, and that is what he was being taught in pre-teaching that he had before the district cut it. Her suggestion was that the interpreter teach him the words ! I pointed out that the interpreter is not an educator, she is here to tell you what my son is saying and tell him what you are saying. She said oh and changed the subject.

Money always factors in to the recommendations the home school district makes. And it makes me angry as well.

 

[jillio]

This has me curious now as to what I should be looking for at our son's first IEP next week. He is going to be starting 3 year old preschool early (he has been seeing a SLP through EI and they are getting him in a year early). It is a good but fairly small school and I do know that they have a SLP on staff as well as someone who specifically works with hearing impaired kids. All this has kind of hit us pretty fast as he was just recently diagnosed (moderate-severe, severe) and is being fitted for HA's this Friday.

I would be happy to tell you what recommendations I would make as an advocate, but need a bit more information. How severe is his language delay? Is he using a sign supported English system, or is he strictly oral, or ASL? What about his social skills...does he seem to have no problem relating to other kids and getting his needs and wants understood, or does he have some problems in that area? Most deaf children do if they have language delays.

If you would rather not post the more personal information, I will be glad to supply you with an email address where you could discuss it more privately.

Shel90 is a teacher of the deaf (we abbreviate TOD), and she is also a deaf individual that was educated in the mainstream. She has a wealth of both personal and professional experience that would be valuable to you, as well.

 

[Elliotts Dad]

I would be happy to tell you what recommendations I would make as an advocate, but need a bit more information. How severe is his language delay? Is he using a sign supported English system, or is he strictly oral, or ASL? What about his social skills...does he seem to have no problem relating to other kids and getting his needs and wants understood, or does he have some problems in that area? Most deaf children do if they have language delays.

He is at least a year delayed I think, although I dont know officially what it is. He only uses single words and most arent very clear. I believe it is ASL he is being taught but more as it just relates to everyday common items and tasks. The SLP gave us a workbook with a bunch in it and we also use the Signing Time! videos. He is very social and outgoing but doesnt get a lot of opportunities to interact with other kids yet.

 

[loml]

This has me curious now as to what I should be looking for at our son's first IEP next week. He is going to be starting 3 year old preschool early (he has been seeing a SLP through EI and they are getting him in a year early). It is a good but fairly small school and I do know that they have a SLP on staff as well as someone who specifically works with hearing impaired kids. All this has kind of hit us pretty fast as he was just recently diagnosed (moderate-severe, severe) and is being fitted for HA's this Friday.

Hi Elliotts Dad - Your sons IEP is an important document and being versed in his intended goals are essential. Has your SLP or the school staff member mentioned Cued Speech/Cued English as a system that is both auditoy/visual, which can be used with spoken English?

 

[jillio]

He is at least a year delayed I think, although I dont know officially what it is. He only uses single words and most arent very clear. I believe it is ASL he is being taught but more as it just relates to everyday common items and tasks. The SLP gave us a workbook with a bunch in it and we also use the Signing Time! videos. He is very social and outgoing but doesnt get a lot of opportunities to interact with other kids yet.

As an advocate, I would recommend that it be written into his IEP that ASL is to be his language of instruction, then. I would also make certain that the goals listed are in relation to language development, and not speech oriented. While speech therapy may still be desirable for him, I would ask that ASL be used in therapy sessions to provide him with understanding. Signing Time is great. I love their videos. Since he is outgoing and social, I wouldn't worry about socialization goals now. You can keep an eye on how he responds to other children, and make a note of any issues you feel should be addressed at his next IEP. Keep in mind that you don't have to wait for school year end to request another IEP if you think problems are developing. You can request one at any time, and Federal Law states that the school system must comply. Also, keep in mind that you are not obligated to sign off on any IEP with which you disagree.

I hope this helps. If you have any further concerns, I will be happy to answer questions to the best of my ability. BTW, he is a beautiful little boy. What a great smile!

 

[jillio]

Hi Elliotts Dad - Your sons IEP is an important document and being versed in his intended goals are essential. Has your SLP or the school staff member mentioned Cued Speech/Cued English as a system that is both auditoy/visual, which can be used with spoken English?

Chances are the school is not using CS. The SLP has already incorporated ASL into the plan. This is not a situation to be used to promote the NCSA.

 

[Elliotts Dad]

As an advocate, I would recommend that it be written into his IEP that ASL is to be his language of instruction, then. I would also make certain that the goals listed are in relation to language development, and not speech oriented. While speech therapy may still be desirable for him, I would ask that ASL be used in therapy sessions to provide him with understanding. Signing Time is great. I love their videos. Since he is outgoing and social, I wouldn't worry about socialization goals now. You can keep an eye on how he responds to other children, and make a note of any issues you feel should be addressed at his next IEP. Keep in mind that you don't have to wait for school year end to request another IEP if you think problems are developing. You can request one at any time, and Federal Law states that the school system must comply. Also, keep in mind that you are not obligated to sign off on any IEP with which you disagree.

I hope this helps. If you have any further concerns, I will be happy to answer questions to the best of my ability. BTW, he is a beautiful little boy. What a great smile!

Thank you so very, very much for your advice and information. This will definitely give us items to look for and ask about at our meeting. I think we have already met everyone that is going to be involved in his education and I feel at least so far that they have his best interests in mind that I can tell. Keeping in mind that this is going to only be the first of 3 years of pre-school, I think we will have plenty of time to adjust to see that his needs are met. I guess as a parent naturally we worry about everything.
Personally I'm still a little leery about the EI system because they are the ones who 10 months ago told us his hearing was fine when they started speech therapy for him, and if I didnt press the issue with his pediatrician and get him seen by a pediatric ENT I dont know where we would be.

 

[deafdyke]

He is going to be starting 3 year old preschool early (he has been seeing a SLP through EI and they are getting him in a year early). It is a good but fairly small school and I do know that they have a SLP on staff as well as someone who specifically works with hearing impaired kids

Is it one of those general "special ed" EI classrooms? One bit of advice....you may want to contact the Iowa School for the Deaf and see if they know of any dhh classrooms/magnet schools. Iowa School for the Deaf
It's good that he's only a year delayed....but on the other hand, maybe with a dhh specific education he could REALLY REALLY do well. Go with a "full toolbox" approach to education AND communication.
Also join the American Society for Deaf Children: American Society for Deaf Children

 

[jillio]

Thank you so very, very much for your advice and information. This will definitely give us items to look for and ask about at our meeting. I think we have already met everyone that is going to be involved in his education and I feel at least so far that they have his best interests in mind that I can tell. Keeping in mind that this is going to only be the first of 3 years of pre-school, I think we will have plenty of time to adjust to see that his needs are met. I guess as a parent naturally we worry about everything.
Personally I'm still a little leery about the EI system because they are the ones who 10 months ago told us his hearing was fine when they started speech therapy for him, and if I didnt press the issue with his pediatrician and get him seen by a pediatric ENT I dont know where we would be.

You are very welcome. Feel free to pick my brain anytime!

I commend you for following your instincts. In raising my deaf son, I found that was the most valuable thing I could do. Don't be afraid to disagree with the professionals. You know your child better than they do, and you know what he responds to.

You are in for a wonderful, if sometimes frustrating experience. Raising a deaf child has broadened my horizons in any number of ways.