Deaf & Hard of Hearing
"Deafness" means a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects the child’s educational performance. 34 CFR § 300.7 (c) (3)
"Hearing Impairment" means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section. 34 CFR § 300.7 (c) (5)
Resources
- Guidelines For Working With Students Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing In Virginia Public Schools - Revised September 2019 (Word)
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Virginia Communication Plan for a Student Who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Revised September 2019 (Word)
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- Training & Technical Assistance Centers (T/TAC) – funded by VDOE, work to improve educational opportunities and contribute to the success of children and youth with disabilities (birth - 22 years).
Outside Resources
Instructional Resources
- Cornerstones Building Blocks of Literacy – (a division of PBS Read Beween the Lions) offers online, research-based literacy units for teachers of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and use sign language.
- Deaf Characters in Adolescent Literature – offers a list of books with characters who are deaf, websites, author interviews, and book reviews.
- OSEP website – designed to provide easy access to information from research to practice initiatives that address the provisions of IDEA and NCLB. This website will include resources, links, and other important information that supports OSEP’s research to practice efforts.
State & National Organizations & Resources
- Alexander Graham Bell Association – the world's oldest and largest membership organization promoting the use of spoken language by children and adults with hearing loss.
- American Society for Deaf Children – organization of parents who are advocates for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association – professional and consumer resources from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Contains a career FAQ and a glossary of terms.
- Boys Town Center for Hearing Loss in Children – Boys Town National Research Hospital's resource for parents of babies who have just been diagnosed with a hearing loss or for families of any child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
- Hands and Voices – established by parents of Colorado Home Intervention Program supporting all communication options for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center – at Gallaudet University, working with children who are deaf worldwide.
- Listen-Up! – specializing in information for the deaf and hard of hearing, and especially geared to the needs of hearing impaired children and their families.
- National Association of the Deaf – provides services and support for deaf individuals and their families. Includes local chapter links and articles.
- National Cued Speech Association – raises awareness of Cued Speech and its applications, provides educational services, assists local affiliate chapters, establishes standards for Cued Speech and certifies Cued Speech instructors and transliterators.
- National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes – provides evidence-based strategies for deaf individuals, family members, and professionals with the goal of closing the education and employment gaps for deaf individuals.
- Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia – an association of over 700 audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
- Technical Assistance Center for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing – funded by VDOE to provide training and technical assistance in the area of hearing impairment and deafness.
- TTAC Online – A community linking people and resources to help children and youth with disabilities.
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Enhanced Scope and Sequence Plus – lesson guides featuring model differentiated lessons for SOLs
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- Virginia Board of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology – the Board of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology oversees the laws and regulations that govern the practice of speech language pathologists and audiologists in Virginia.
- Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (VDDHH) – works to reduce the communication barriers between persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families and the professionals who serve them.
- Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services – provides assistance to students through Pre-Employment Transition Services and the Vocational Rehabilitation Program.
- Virginia Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program, Virginia Department of Health – the goal of Virginia's Newborn Hearing Screening program is to identify congenital hearing loss in children by three months of age and enroll them in appropriate early intervention by six months of age.
- Virginia Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf – the Virginia affiliate chapter of Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.
- VA Relay – enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or speech disabled to communicate by TTY or another assistive telephone device with anyone who uses a standard phone.