As a teacher of the deaf as well as the classroom teacher, Kimberly Mockler works very closely with the teacher of the visually impaired. This involves sharing ideas, resources, and lesson plans for the deaf/blind students. Their lessons and goals are very similar and overlap in several areas. A major challenge for both of them is maintaining high…

Vocational Education, Community Training, and Occupational Relations Program (VECTOR) serves a variety of students with disabilities, about one-third of whom are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf/blind. As part of what the federal government calls a "traditionally underserved population," these students come from the homes of immigrants and…

As a result of the implementation--and rigor--of the Common Core State Standards, many educators are looking for a different teaching approach to make content accessible to all students. Successful implementation of these standards for deaf and hard of hearing students can be achieved through what Christy Neria calls the "Five E's."…

This article describes a teachers reflections on the matter of student expectations. Santini begins with a common understanding of the "Pygmalion effect" from research projects conducted in earlier years that intimated "people's expectations could influence other people in the world around them." In the world of deaf…

Self-advocacy occurs when deaf or hard of hearing individuals explain to hearing teachers, classmates, bosses, and officemates the nature of their hearing loss, their language skills, and the accommodations they require in order to effectively do their work, participate in conversations, and get involved in other activities. Self-advocacy may be…

The process of developing and implementing a 504 plan is different from that of implementing an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This author has been a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students under the Special Education Department in Prince William County Schools for 11 years. She had never had a student referred to the team that handles…

Parents of deaf and hard of hearing children in the special education system may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to learn. This article aims to give parents a place to begin in the effort to work with the school to ensure that their child receives an appropriate education. There are three broad areas that parents need to be…

LeRoy was a deaf sixth grader who used signs and his voice to communicate. Yanetta was a deaf eighth grader who had deaf parents and preferred American Sign Language (ASL). Michael was a deaf fifth grader in a suburban school who attended an oral program and used his voice exclusively to communicate. All three students struggled with reading. They…