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Special Programs Regional Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Who is Eligible? To qualify for deaf or hard of hearing program services, a child/student must reside in Marion, Polk, or Yamhill counties, have a hearing loss that meets the state eligibility requirements for hearing impairment, and be individually evaluated by an Audiologist and a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The requirements for eligibility are
How are Children Served?
The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program through WESD provides family focused, home-based services for children who are birth-two years and preschool-based services for children who are three to five years old. School age services are provided to students in their educational setting. Depending on the student's educational needs, services can range from direct instruction to consultation for instructional staff. Students may be served in their neighborhood school, or at a center site where other deaf and hard of hearing students attend. The center site programs provide comprehensive services to deaf and hard of hearing students within a single typical public school setting. A variety of options and support services are available for students with various degrees of hearing losses and communication needs. The educational services available are designed to meet the unique needs of each student with services ranging along a continuum from consultation to complete subject instruction to a self-contained classroom. Related services are also provided as directed by the student’s IEP. Current center sites are at Salem Heights Elementary School, Crossler Middle School and Sprague High School, all located within SE Salem. Within the center site programs the following services are available: Kindergarten Classroom: The kindergarten program is child-centered utilizing a whole language approach. Emphasis is placed on the development of competent communication skills, and academic readiness skills. Salem School District’s kindergarten curriculum is used as a guideline and incorporated into the program. Competent communication, literacy development, and the development of speech, language and audition skills are the areas of intensive focus. ERC (Educational Resource Center) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students This classroom serves deaf and hard of hearing students in first through fifth grade and at the middle school center sites who require a highly structured, predictable setting with consistent expectations and consequences. These students are those with low academic skills who need more structure and modifications for academic success or students who need a more highly structured systems but may have higher cognitive skills. The ERC would incorporate instruction using all sensory modalities to accommodate the various learning styles of students. Instruction would be at the functioning level of each student. Provision of instruction and communication would be through sign language with auditory and verbal support. While these classrooms would be self contained in nature, some mainstreaming between the general education classrooms as well as the deaf and hard of hearing resource room would be maintained. It would be anticipated that some of the students might transition back to the general education classroom once specific skills are developed. Resource Room for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student The resource room provides specialized and individualized or group instruction for those subject areas in which the student is delayed when compared to his/her hearing peers. Services are provided for deaf students as needed through tutorial support or complete subjection instruction. Additional support may be provided in the areas of communication skills, interpreter training, deaf awareness, etc. Consultation and support is provided by the Deaf/HH Specialist to the general education teacher, interpreter, and other ancillary staff involved with the deaf or hard of hearing student. At all of the center sites as well as itinerant services the following are provided Direct Service Direct services may
be provided to the student by the Deaf/HH Specialist through Consultative Services The purpose of the consultative services is to closely monitor student needs/progress, and to facilitate a successful inclusion experience. Services would include: consultation to the general education teacher(s), and other appropriate school staff; monitoring student’s academic and social progress; monitoring student’s personal amplification system; assessing and assisting with student needs for special and/or adaptive equipment and materials; on-going parent contact; classroom/staff orientation and inservice; participation as a team member on the IEP team; and/or formal classroom observation of the student. Who Provides these Services?
What Services are Provided to Districts, Agencies, Children/Students and their Families?
Websites for families include: Hand and
Voices A
nation wide support and educational organization for families For free captioned media access for schools and families with children with hearing loss: www.cfv.org Contact Information 1-503-385-4385 (V/TTY) English and Español For further information about Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services contact Eleni Boston, Coordinator at 503.385-4606. |
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Copyright, 2004, Willamette Education Service District 
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