 EDS543 – Korey Tremblay

 1)Deafness is defined by IDEA as, “A hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification.” (“Deafness and Hearing Loss”, n.d.).

 In order to be considered deaf, a child must: o Meet the definition on the previous slide, OR o Meet appropriate criteria listed by the state of residence, OR o Experience fluctuating or temporary hearing impairment for longer than three months (“Eligibility criteria”, n.d.).

Having a prolonged and severe hearing impairment. May have difficulty with reading and writing skills as a result. Become adept at lip reading, allowing the child to understand the “spoken” language without being able to hear. Belong to organizations for people who are deaf, as a means of support and assistance. Use, “American Sign Language” (or ASL) to communicate non-verbally. This is a prevalent strategy in classrooms or concerts for people who are deaf; as the presenter may not be well versed in ASL, a translator is present so those people who are deaf can understand (“Deaf/Hard of Hearing”, n.d.).

 A child can become deaf before birth o Genetic mutation  A child or adult can become deaf after birth o Trauma or other damage to ear  A child can be born deaf o Illness during pregnancy (“Deafness”, n.d.).

 Three main stages to teaching students with deafness: o Develop an understanding of ASL o Meeting the needs of students with CI o Inclusion of students with deafness in the mainstream classroom

 ASL, or American Sign Language, is a form of communication available to people who are deaf.  This communication relies on vision as opposed to hearing, much like braille relies on feeling rather than seeing in order to read.  When learning ASL, there are two concepts that I feel are important: o The instructor must provide context for new vocabulary so students can understand its meaning. o The instructor must go beyond simply translating the story and clarify difficult points, as any instructor should (Quinto-Pozos, 2012).

 A CI, or Cochlear Implant, is a small piece of technology that can be surgically implanted to restore hearing in people who are deaf or have severely impaired hearing.  Having their hearing restored does not mean the student does not still require additional services.

 (1)Increase of technical support due to the CI needing to be monitored and adjusted.  (2)Implementation of music into the curriculum as a means of learning.  (3)Consistent and increased oral input, due to changes in hearing frequency.  (4)Specific auditory training for the students, due to the effects of the implant.  (5)Optimal listening conditions, so that the child is able to comprehend the instruction.  (6)The ability to practice speaking the language they have heard.  (7)A reading agenda that focuses on vocabulary that is specifically difficult to students with hearing impairment (De Raeve, Baerts, Colleye, & Croux, 2012).

 Little research has been done into Inclusion of deaf and/or blind students into mainstream classrooms, and as such, it has been labeled as a difficult task (Kamenopoulou, 2012).  Through the initial research conducted by Kamenopoulou, it was found that Inclusion has positive social benefits on students who are deaf and/or blind.

 As we learned about through our readings in Salend, there are different teaching strategies (Salend, 2011).  A co-teaching strategy would apply well in a classroom where there may be students who are deaf.  This allows one teacher to provide a lesson, and the other teacher to serve as a translator for students who may not be able to hear.

 People who are deaf make up a larger percentage of the population than I thought.  Approximately 0.1% of the world population is considered deaf based on figures from and  While this may not be as significant of a percentage as some others, I feel this is cause enough for instructors to pay attention to and learn about child deafness.

 1. "Deafness - a Range of Causes." Better Health Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014, from _a_range_of_causes _a_range_of_causes  2. "Deaf/Hard of Hearing." Office of Student Disability Services. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr, from  3. "Deafness and Hearing Loss." National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014, from  4. "Eligibility Criteria: Hearing Impairment including Deafness." LII / Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014, from  5. De Raeve, L., Baerts, J., Colleye, E., & Croux, E. (2012). Changing Schools for the Deaf: Updating the Educational Setting for Our Deaf Children in the 21st Century, a Big Challenge. Deafness & Education International, 14(1),  6. Kamenopoulou, L. (2012). A study on the inclusion of deafblind young people in mainstream schools: key findings and implications for research and practice. British Journal Of Special Education, 39(3),  7. Quinto-Pozos, D., & Reynolds, W. (2012). ASL Discourse Strategies: Chaining and Connecting- Explaining across Audiences. Sign Language Studies, 12(2),  8. Salend, S. J. (2011). Creating inclusive classrooms: Effective and reflective practices. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.