Teaching Students with Sensory Impairments
Working with Families
Katharine Edwards, M.A.T.
Trinity University
IV. Strategies for Successfully Engaging Families
Parental involvement in a child's education indicates the importance
placed on learning and provides a role model for the development of the
student's own attitude (Elkind, 2001). Marschark et al. (2002) noted that while
parents of deaf children indicated more frequent observations of their children in
the classroom than did those of parents of hearing children, they volunteered
less often to participate in classroom activities. Yet, parents stated that they
recognized the importance of such involvement in their child's success. Authors
suggest that parents may hesitate because of feelings of helplessness, lack of
confidence in their own communication skills, and concerns about intruding upon
the expertise of teachers.
In this handbook, in her chapter on counseling students with hearing
impairment, Dr. Terry Robertson discusses different strategies for counseling
parents of children with hearing impairments. These suggestions can also be
used when creating a program within the school to get parents involved.
Providing assistance such as counseling or support groups enhances parent
involvement through empowerment. These support groups consist of parents of
children who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. A parent contact, usually a
parent who has already experienced the different stages of acceptance and has
participated in parent education training, can best support and advise parents.
Having a strong support group consisting of people who have experienced or are
experiencing the same concerns can truly help the healing and empowering
process.
Implementing a support system helps parents become more open when
discussing their child’s hearing impairment and in explaining medical subjects
and assistive technology. Parents are able to retain information better and begin
asking questions that will help them fulfill their child's needs.
Schools can help implement these groups by providing meeting space.
Speakers can be brought in to discuss different subjects that relate to parents
and to answer their questions. Parent liaisons can also be appointed to help
organize such events. It is important that these group meetings provide both
valid information and social support. Along with regular meetings, social outings
such as dinner or recreation (picnics, camping, bowling, etc.) can provide
additional activities for families to enjoy. In their Parent Education Resource
Manual, Gallaudet College underscores that the programs should “provide
ongoing activities that will foster the cognitive and affective growth” of the parents
involved (p. 11). To assist in structuring these groups, a curriculum can be
developed to address appropriate responses to questions about common issues
and such as puberty, sex, and drug education, to help parents support the full
educational development of their child. Main categories that parent programs
address include family, education, government, partnerships, resources,
advocacy, and special circumstances (i.e. adolescents, rural families, students
with complex disabilities including hearing impairment). With parental approval,
involved adults might also develop a directory of families with children who are
deaf or who have hearing impairments (Hallau, 2002). This will make it easier for
families to reach out to others and provide or receive support.
Parent education should also be incorporated into a school program. If
parents see that the school is making an effort to help them, they will be more
willing to attempt to help the school and classroom. Parents should also be
given a chance to learn more about medical or audiological terms regarding their
child. Schools can provide time in group settings to introduce these terms. They
can also provide resources such as pamphlets, books, contact information, and
mentors which will be able to help parents find out more about their child’s
special needs.
Author of A Parents’ Program in a School for the Deaf, Paul Rotter, adds
that parents must be provided with an, “understanding of normal child
development with insight into the likenesses between deaf and hearing children"
(p. 11). While written decades ago, Rotter's (1969) words ring true today:
Parents of deaf children certainly require an early, accurate
orientation to deafness, the long- as well as the short-term
prognosis, an explanation of the limitations of deafness as
well as the educational possibilities, and a generally positive
developmental approach rather than overly heavy emphasis
on the disability” (p. 11).
Schools and specialists are trying to empower parents and encourage them to be
a strong and educated advocate for their child. While a variety of issues must be
addressed, a focus on how parents and their children will reach positive goals
should be a primary emphasis in a parent involvement program. Parents must
be exposed to a good selection of resources regarding not only child
development but also, “hearing, hearing-aids, [cochlear implants], speech and
language, auditory training, speech-reading, and educational and vocational
programs” ( p. 21), and then taught how to understand and use these resources.
Continuously, we observe that students become stronger and more active
learners when their parents are involved in their learning in some way. Realizing
this, many schools find it beneficial to have a policy where parents can observe
classrooms and discuss concerns as well as give positive feedback to the faculty.
A willingness to incorporate parental input demonstrates that the school values
their participation and opinions and that these are integral parts of a functioning
education.
Too often, fund-raising becomes the focus of family involvement. Parents
are best involved in other aspects of the school such as developing a parent
newsletter which would discuss support dispersal of information, ongoing
activities, available resources, and contact information. Parents also are needed
to tutor children, instruct small groups in review activities, help create materials,
supervise in the lunchroom, and work in other areas suggested by the teacher
(Waldron, 2005).
Positive parental involvement can also extend further than helping within
the schools. Hallau (2002) notes that parents can encourage home visits for
specialists, counselors, and teachers so they can understand family issues and
observe more of the student’s specific needs. Parents can also help organize
school activities such as field days, chili cook-offs, picnics, multi-cultural festivals,
and field trips. Parent groups can work with the school to help develop after
school programs and weekend workshops, such as sign language courses, that
would appeal to parents and students.
For optimal communication, teachers and the Principal should have email
devoted to parent/school communication. For those individuals who have access
to a computer, this method of communication can be quick and efficient.
Teachers can also send home a communication log which discusses student
activities and how each particular student is doing (Hallau, 2002). They may
send requests or invitations home as well. Not only is this a good way to involve
parents in education, it also a good communication device between parents and
children. Parents are able to see what their child has been doing in school and
many times this log can be a conversation starter. Parents can also use this log
to write back to the teacher requesting more information or to discuss things the
student has been doing at home. Other means of communication can come
through “school-wide newsletters, long-range calendars, daily summaries of the
child’s day, and routine phone calls” (Hallau, 2002, p. 12).
When developing a program that strives to get parents involved in their
child’s education, schools and teachers must remember that the structure and
spectrum of support and activities depends on the population of the school and
community. Schools in rural areas will have different resources and needs
compared to schools in urban areas. Money, food, child care, and transportation
must be considered when starting a program (Hallau, 2002). Access to these
resources is important and will greatly affect parent participation and the
outcomes of a program. It would also be beneficial for schools to bring in adults
who are deaf or have hearing impairments so that they may not only serve as
role models for the students but can also act as resources for parents regarding
experiences, the Deaf community, and technology (Hallau, 2002).
Schools must look at the parents’ and students’ diverse needs and
experiences before any kind of outreach is developed. To assure that schools
have met these needs, parents and students should be involved in the planning
process. Because they have helped develop their own program, this involvement
also affords a sense of ownership and empowerment.