Deaf Hard of Hearing Center Program

program overview

Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH and D/HH+) center programs support students with significant needs related to hearing impairments. Instruction in D/HH+ programs is guided by district-approved curriculum and the state modified standards. Deaf/HH Educators provide consultative or direct services to address access and educational needs. Educational Audiologists provide comprehensive support and management to students with a hearing loss.

program focus

Deaf/Hard Of Hearing (D/HH and D/HH+) center programming focuses on:

  1. Academic Instruction and Inclusion
  2. Data Collection / Progress Monitoring
  3. Paraeducator Support
  4. Intensive Language Development
  5. Advocacy and Independence

Academic Instruction and Inclusion

A daily plan of instruction is in place which includes each student's schedule, and learning targets for each group lesson and individual student work. Instruction is individualized to address the student's IEP goals as well as academics, communication, social skills, and activities of daily living. Plans include systematically teaching generalization of skills across people, settings, time and materials. 

Data Collection / Progress Monitoring

Meaningful data are collected, analyzed and discussed on an on-going basis (e.g., IEP goals, learner outcomes, behavior). Data are used to analyze individual student's response to the intervention. Decisions are made in a timely manner if the student is not making progress with the intervention.

Paraeducators

Roles and responsibilities between all team members are clearly defined including paraeducators, special education and general education teachers and related service providers. Time is built into the schedule for communication, collaboration and feedback between paraeducators and supervising teachers and/or evaluators. Schedules for paraeducators are in place to ensure that students have opportunities to work with a variety of adults throughout the day. A back-up schedule is in place to ensure support during para leaves/absences.

Intensive Language Development

Students have explicit and direct language instruction from Teacher of the Deaf (daily for PK/Elementary, multiple times weekly for Secondary). Communication plan action items are implemented to develop the student’s primary mode of communication in all school environments. Every lesson addresses the 4 domains: reading, writing, receptive communication, and expressive communication.

 

Advocacy and Independence

Students have opportunities to move towards independence with hearing technology - equipment isn’t working, teacher on mute, etc. Students have opportunities to manage their environment to support hearing:

  1. change themselves (ex. move seat)
  2. change the environment (ex. close door)
  3. ask others to change (ex. look at me when you speak).
Students can explain their hearing loss and equipment to an unfamiliar person. Secondary students explain their accommodations and why they need them. Students take on a leadership role in their IEP meetings.

SCHOOL LOCATIONS AND PROGRAMS

ITINERANT DHH SERVICES

Itinerant teachers provide instruction and consultation for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and travel from school to school. Itinerant support is significantly different than site-based support.

Itinerant support is available for students of all grade levels, preschool through high school. Services, roles and responsibilities for itinerant teachers differ from on-site teachers. Specifically, itinerant teachers work with both students and adults to collaborating with special and general educators to create goals, provide classroom and learning strategies, and make recommendations for appropriate accommodations for IEP and 504 students.

everitt middle school

The programs at Everitt Middle School combine students from the Auditory Oral and TC Elementary programs and accommodate for individual student needs.

The DHH program at Everitt Middle School provides a unique needs-based program for deaf and hard of hearing students in 6th - 8th grade. Based on the needs of the individual students, we provide direct instruction from a Teacher of the Deaf, learning interventions and strategies in a pull-out setting, and support in the mainstreamed classes with sign language interpreters and note-takers/tutors. Communication is based on each student’s individual needs as determined by their Communication Plan. Support services include Speech/Language, audiology, counseling, and classroom audio amplification (FM systems).

MAPLE GROVE ELEMENTARY

Maple Grove Elementary is home to Jeffco’s Auditory/Oral Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) center-based program. Professionals include Teachers of the Deaf, Educational Audiologists, Speech Language Pathologists, and a Mental Health Provider.

Students participate within the general education setting as well as the D/HH classroom. Programming and instruction are individualized to meet each child’s needs.

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new classical academy at vivian

New Classical Academy at Vivian Elementary is the home of Jeffco’s DHH Total Communication (TC) Program providing services to students with hearing loss grades preK-5. Our DHH team includes Teachers of the Deaf, Educational Audiologists, Educational Interpreters, Speech Language Pathologists, and a Mental Health Provider, as well as educational sign language interpreters, and paraeducators.

Various communication modes include: auditory/oral, ASL, simultaneous communication (SIM COM - signing while talking). In addition to D/HH classrooms, mainstream opportunities are available. Teachers of the Deaf regularly collaborate with general educators to ensure that a student with hearing loss will have their communication needs met.

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wheat ridge high school

The Wheat Ridge High School D/HH center-based program caters to deaf and hard-of-hearing students who utilize a variety of communication modes with a variety of receptive and expressive languages paired with varying degrees of hearing loss.  

Specialized embedded supports are available to ensure the consistency of working amplification, accommodations, and opportunities for DHH teaching professionals to collaborate with other teachers to ensure D/HH student needs are met.  General education teachers are familiar with D/HH student accomodations to access instruction, including interpreters, paraeducators and/or note-takers, and FM amplification systems. 

Resources

Assistive Technology

D/HH and D/HH+ students are supported with various Assistive Technology and an Assistive Technology Team. Contact a center school for more information.

The Assistive Technology Team provides consultation services to students with disabilities who may need assistive technology to receive reasonable benefit from their education. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines assistive technology as any item, piece of equipment, or product system (software) that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a student with disabilities, and which the IEP team specifies is necessary for the student to receive a free and appropriate public education. Disabilities may include difficulties that interfere with communication, learning, social relationships, mobility, access to curriculum, and active participation in the educational environment. Examples could include specialized pencil grips, and paper, audio books, and speech generating apps.

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