Not being able to hear is often largely underestimated because, for the most part, it is an invisible disability. The primary difference between students with hearing loss and their typically hearing peers is that they do not access speech as completely. Accommodations are the key to helping students with hearing loss achieve and thrive in the curriculum as effectively as their peers.
It takes a team to successfully mainstream a child with hearing loss. Every child is an individual with his/her own strengths and limitations. Sometimes IEP team members quickly consider accommodations with a mention of a few strategies as they check off several boxes in the IEP. It should be more than that. Since learning issues caused by hearing loss are due to decreased access to verbal information, accommodations are intended to “level the playing field.”
Accommodations need to be:
- considered carefully
- discussed completely
- implemented consistently
- monitored frequently
Unless appropriate and effective accommodations are provided, the student with hearing loss will be discriminated against in the classroom because they are expected to perform as well as other students without being provided the same information. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires schools to ensure that “communication for students with hearing loss is as effective as communication for others.”
Accommodations, specifically auxiliary aids and services, must be provided to afford students with hearing loss an equal opportunity to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement as that provided to others. For access to the entire ADA see ADA.gov.
What can you do if you have a student with hearing loss in your classroom? Some accommodations include:
- note taking services by a professional or a peer
- sign language interpreters
- open and closed captioning for classroom videos or online classes
- real time captioning using electronic computer translating services
- assistive listening devices
- exchange of written materials prior to class lessons
- peer tutoring
- accessible electronic technology
- provision of services by a teacher of the deaf
Supports for instructional staff and parents on behalf of students with hearing loss could include the following:
- training for staff on particular aspects of hearing loss and its educational impact
- attendance at a conference
- collaboration among professionals who serve students with hearing loss
- parent education groups
Program modifications and services for instructional staff and parents on behalf of students with hearing loss could include the following:
- training for staff on particular aspects of hearing loss and its educational impact
- attendance at a conference
- collaboration among professionals who serve students with hearing loss
- parent education groups
The Desert/Mountain SELPA has developed a new training pathway to help teachers and other service providers ensure success for their students with hearing loss. To learn more about this training opportunity view our Professional Learning Guide.
Click here to access a two-page worksheet to assess the various learning environments that could present challenges for your students with hearing loss. Within this article is a great link to Frequently Asked Questions Developed by the U.S. Dept. of Justice and the U.S. Dept. of Education Office of Civil Rights regarding accommodations.
The most important factor contributing to the success of a mainstreamed child with hearing loss is a teacher who is aware of the child’s challenges and strengths and who is willing to be flexible by continually adapting and modifying supports and strategies. Listen up - you make a difference!