The Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Program at S. H. S.
 The Northwestern Illinois Association (NIA)
program servicing students who are deaf or
hard of hearing has been a part of
Streamwood High School since 1988.
 The feeder schools for S. H. S. are Parkwood
Elementary, Woodland Heights Elementary
and Tefft Middle Schools.
 NIA staff members are contracted through
Sycamore School District not U-46.
NIA Staff Members (X 4983)
 Teachers: Linda Laighton, Jill McCue,
Carrie Morfoot, Kerri Salins
 Interpreters: Trinette Co, Laurie Eder, Debbie
Johnston, Renie Norris, Michele Simms
 Counselor: Veronica Krause
 Speech teacher: Kathy Reuter
 Vocational specialist: Mary Glynn
 Program supervisor: Karen Bogdan
(630)830-3730
Case Managers
 Each NIA teacher is responsible for serving
as case manager for a group of NIA students
each year.
 Mainstream teachers or building staff can
contact the case managers at building
extension 4983 or 213-7671 with any
questions, concerns or comments.
 Audiological information for each student is
available from the case managers.
 Case managers will solicit teachers’ feedback
during the year and before I. E. P. meetings.
NIA Support Services
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The following services are available based on
students’ individual needs.
Group and /or individual counseling provided
by a counselor of deaf and hard of hearing
students.
Group and /or individual speech/language
provided by a speech pathologist or teacher
of the deaf.
Interpreting and note taking in mainstream
settings.
Resource assistance during study hall.
Additional Support Services
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STEP Program and vocational
assistance/exploration provided by NIA
vocational specialist and job coaches.
Adapted P. E.
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Vision Specialist
Orientation and Mobility Specialist
Multi-needs Supervision
Assistive Technology Used by
Deaf People
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Hearing aids
Cochlear implants
FM systems
Free Ear
Real-time captioning
Captioning
Amplified phones
Teletypewriters (TTY)
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Flashing alarms
Vibrating alarms
Doorbell flasher
Knock light
Video phones and
conferencing
Numeric pagers
Other – hearing dogs
NIA Student Participation in
Extra-curricular Activities
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NIA sponsors 3 clubs in which students participate.
Junior National Association of the Deaf (Jr. NAD)
has monthly activities to encourage socialization with
deaf peers.
Social Activities Club (SA Club) has monthly activities
to encourage participation in community activities for the
multi-needs students.
Sign Language Club meets weekly to teach sign
language to hearing students and encourage
communication between all students.
NIA students may participate in all building sports and
organizations. Some students are involved in extracurricular activities in their home schools.
Self-contained &
Mainstreamed Classes
 The NIA teachers teach self-contained classes in
each subject using sign language focusing on
language and vocabulary.
 NIA students with appropriate ability levels will be
mainstreamed in order to take advantage of the
faculty’s expertise in each subject area.
 A teacher/interpreter may be assigned if the
students registered for a class will need
additional assistance. The teacher/interpreter
may re-teach lessons, alter assignments, aid in
evaluating students and perform classroom
duties during teaching.
Case Manager’s
Responsibilities
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Arrange through mainstream teacher
preferential seating, interpreter and note taker
use.
Monitor progress of NIA students and arrange
for resource help if needed.
Modify materials or tests when deemed
necessary by both teachers.
Maintain contact with interpreter to ensure a
continuum of services.
Act as liaison between program and parents.
Students’ Responsibilities
 Students are responsible for preparing for
class, participating and behaving.
 Students should not be signing during quiet
times if other students are not allowed to talk.
 Students should request make up work if they
are absent. The interpreter does not re-teach
the missed material.
 Students should request resource help as
needed.
Mainstream Teacher’s
Responsibilities
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Expect the NIA student to participate, achieve, and
behave.
Direct questions/answers directly to the student
rather than the interpreter.
Communicate directly with the case manager
concerning the NIA student’s academic progress.
Alert the interpreter to your teaching style, and use
visuals if possible.
Try to position yourself so that lip-reading is possible.
Remember that the interpreter is usually a few words
behind in message transmission.
Point out the speaker, and allow one person at a time
to talk.
Sign Language
The NIA Program philosophy regarding method of
communication in self contained classes is Total
Communication (T. C.). This means that teachers
speak and sign in English word order while allowing
for speech reading during instruction.
 Students in mainstreamed classes and school
activities choose from signed exact English,
American Sign Language (ASL) or Pidgin.
 ASL is the native language of deaf Americans.
 Sites that show fingerspelling or sign language:
http://members.iquest.net/~powers/speller/speller.html
http://www.handspeak.com
http://www.deafness.about.com
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Speech Reading Myths
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Although many of our students are excellent speech
readers only 30% of the English language is
detectable on the lips. This is less than 1 out of
every 3 words. Words like mat, pat, and bat all look
the same.
Facial features such as beards and mustaches
distract from speech reading.
It is difficult for a student to speech read an instructor
while trying to “fill in” with an interpreter due to the
sign language delay.
Students who may have language and vocabulary
delays have difficulty gathering clues from context to
complete ideas.
The Interpreter’s Role
 N. I. A. students who use sign language to
communicate will be assigned an interpreter
for each class.
 The interpreter transmits spoken messages
and environmental cues via the appropriate
sign language method for the student.
 The interpreter transmits signed messages
and spoken messages into clear spoken
English for the teacher and class.
 The interpreter does not teach, grade,
discipline or supervise students.
Interpreter Needs
 An interpreter will require a chair in front of the
student or students in your room.
 If you move about the room for demonstrations the
interpreter will need to move with you.
 The interpreter will need a copy of the text and
handouts that are given to the students.
 The interpreter will need to preview videos or other
audiovisual materials especially if they are not
captioned.
 The interpreter will discuss teaching styles and needs
with the classroom teacher to establish open
communication.
Interpreter Use
 Talk directly to the student or students in your
class, and the interpreter will sign the
message.
 Expect a 2-3 second delay in message
transmission and a delay in response time
from students using sign language.
 Interpreters are certified staff hired by NIA to
serve the student and faculty needs of
communication.
 The interpreter must be accessible to the NIA
student at all times and cannot supervise
U-46 students.
Interpreter Responsibilities
 Arrive to class on time and remain with the student.
 Sign and voice any messages or environmental
sounds.
 Alert NIA student to any emergency alarm or situation
and direct them to safety.
 Accompany the student to the nurse’s office, deans’
office, or other locations if necessary.
 If an interpreter is absent, the student should remain
in class. A substitute will be found if at all possible.
Interpreters may internally sub based on the material
and the student being served.
Interpreter Code of Ethics
(Related to Mainstreaming)
 All assignment-related information must
be kept strictly confidential.
 The message must be rendered
faithfully, using language most readily
understood by the person being served.
 Interpreters shall not counsel, advise or
interject personal opinions.
Use of Note Takers
 It is difficult for a student with a hearing loss to watch
an interpreter, lipread and take notes during lectures
because an interpreter does not “hold” information
when the student looks down to write.
 An NIA student should confer with the classroom
teacher at the beginning of the semester in order to
select a student or students who will take notes. If
the teacher has a master copy of notes, a copy of
those could be given to the student.
 NIA students are provided with carbon note taking
paper which allows the note taker to make 2 sets of
notes at one time.
Use of Audio-visuals
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If a video, film or program is not captioned,
allow the interpreter time to preview the
material. The student may need time with the
interpreter to view the piece outside of class.
It is very difficult for a student using
captioning or an interpreter to view a program
and fill in a worksheet or take notes
simultaneously. An alternate assignment
could be to have the student write a summary
following the program.
Use of Closed Captioning
 Videos are captioned if CC or
is found on the
box or tape or if a captioned program was recorded.
When recording the captioning signal will
automatically be recorded.
 Turn on the T. V. And V. C. R. If using a video.
 If the remote has a cc button, push cc, turn captions
on, push enter and wait for captioning to appear.
 If remote has no cc button, push the menu button
until set up screen appears. Arrow down to captions
and turn on with arrow buttons. Go down to
captions/text selection and choose caption 1. Push
enter on the remote and allow up to 2 minutes for
captioning to start.
Anatomy of the Ear
Ear Description and Picture
Hearing Losses
 Conductive = a problem in the outer or middle ear.
This prevents sound from reaching the nerves in the
inner ear.
 Sensorineural = damage to some or all of the nerves
in the inner ear.
 Mixed = a combination of conductive and
sensorineural causes.
 For more information
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/SupportServices/serie
s/5001.html.
An Audiogram
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Hearing levels are shown on
an audiogram using 0 for the
right ear and X for the left
ear.
The vertical numbers on the
left side of the graph
represent decibels (dB) or
volume. 0 dB is very quiet
and 120 dB is very loud.
Hertz (Hz) or pitch is
measured across the
horizontal axis. 125 Hz is a
very low sound, and 8000 Hz
is a very high sound.
Each student in our program
must have an audiogram
documenting a hearing loss.
Frequency Spectrum of
Familiar Sounds
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Human speech sounds are
located between 250 and
4000 Hz and 20 and 50 db.
This is called the speech
banana due to its shape.
Many environmental sounds
are lower in frequency and
higher in volume which
explains why some students
may hear these noises while
they have difficulty
understanding speech.
Hard of Hearing or Deaf ?
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Students with mild or moderate losses usually
consider themselves to be hard of hearing.
Students with severe or profound losses
usually consider themselves to be deaf.
Many students have losses that start as
moderate and slope to severe or profound.
Their functioning level may dictate the title.
Effect of Hearing Loss on the
Understanding of Language
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Mild Hearing Loss (26 to 40 dB)
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Understands conversational speech at 3-5
feet when face to face.
May miss as much as 50% of class
discussions if voices are faint or not in line of
vision.
May have slightly limited vocabulary.
Difficulty when tired or inattentive in noise of
general conversation.
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Educational Needs for
Students With Mild Losses
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Individual hearing aid use
recommended.
Favorable seating and possible selfcontained class placement.
Attention to vocabulary and reading.
Lipreading and speech instruction as
needed.
Effect of Hearing Loss on
Understanding of Language
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Moderate Hearing Loss (41-70 dB)
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Conversation must be loud to be understood.
Will have increased difficulty in group
discussions.
Likely to be deficient in language usage and
comprehension.
Will have limited vocabulary.
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Educational Needs of Students
With Moderate Losses
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Individual hearing aid use
recommended.
Special help in language skills,
vocabulary development, usage,
reading, writing, grammar, etc.
Lipreading and speech instruction.
Attention to auditory and visual
situations at all time.
Effect of Hearing Loss on
Understanding of Language
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Severe Hearing Loss (71-90dB)
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May hear loud voices about one foot from ear
to moderate voice several inches from ear.
May be able to identify environmental sounds
such as sirens and airplanes.
May be able to discriminate vowels but not all
consonants.
Likely to be deficient in language usage and
comprehension.
Will have limited vocabulary.
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Educational Needs of
Students With Severe Losses
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Individual hearing aid use recommended.
Special help in language skills, vocabulary
development, usage, reading, writing,
grammar, etc.
Lipreading and speech instruction.
Attention to auditory and visual situations at
all time.
Program needs specialized supervision and
comprehensive supporting services.
Effect of Hearing Loss on the
Understanding of Language
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Profound Hearing Loss (91+ dB)
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May hear some loud sounds 1 inch from ear
but is aware of vibrations more than tonal
pattern.
Relies on vision rather than hearing as
primary avenue for communication.
Likely to be deficient in language usage and
comprehension.
Will have limited vocabulary.
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Educational Needs of Students
With Profound Losses
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Individual hearing aid use recommended.
Special help in language skills, vocabulary
development, usage, reading, writing,
grammar, etc.
Program needs specialized supervision and
comprehensive supporting services.
Lipreading and speech instruction.
Attention to auditory and visual situations at
all time.
Continuous appraisal of communication
needs.
A Simulated Severe High
Frequency Loss
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Click
to take a simple spelling test
containing 10 words. The words have
been mechanically altered to simulate a
severe high frequency loss.
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The answers can be found on the
simulated mild high frequency loss
slide.
A Simulated Moderate High
Frequency Loss
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Click
to take the spelling test a
second time listening as if you had a
moderate high frequency loss.
A Simulated Mild High
Frequency Loss
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Click
to take the spelling test hearing as if you
had a mild high frequency loss. Note that many
elementary children with this amount of loss are still
not identified as having a hearing loss.
Answers: 1. Bath 2. Pearl 3. Sour 4. Mouse
5. Learn 6. Wheat 7. Vine 8. Tape 9. Hedge
10. Mood
Note what a difference pre-teaching of vocabulary
makes. When you are aware of what words to be
listening for the task is much easier.
Common Language Errors of
Hard of Hearing Students
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Incorrect part of speech – This book is bored.
Incorrect or omitted verb – Where did he went?
Omitted endings – We are suppose to work.
Hearing errors – What are we oppose to do?
Omitted prepositions – I look up the stars.
General errors – incorrect word choice, awkward
sentence structure, simplistic structures, question
forms, passive voice, helping verbs, shades of
meaning, run-ons and fragments, indirect discourse
and pronoun use.
Distinctive Structures in the
Language of Deaf Students
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Misuse of negatives – No Daddy see baby.
Object deletion – John chased the girl and he scared
(her).
No inversion in questions – The kitten is black?
Inversion of object and verb – Who TV watched?
Noun/pronoun copying – The boy saw the girl who
she ran home.
Omission of verb – The cat under the table.
Subject-Verb agreement – The boy like the cat.
Adjective following noun – The barn red burned.
Other verb errors – The boy have sick. The boy is
kiss the girl. John sick. Chad wanted go.
Social Maturity
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Many students with hearing losses are delayed in
their social development.
Incidental learning is missed so many of the “natural
consequence” situations are misunderstood or
ignored.
Students with delayed language may not understand
comments made by other students which would
inhibit their behaviors.
Many families do not use sign language at home so
students do not have previous learning and transfer
of knowledge from home.
Links for Information on
Deafness
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http://www.nad.org/ maintained by
National Association of the Deaf
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/index.ht
mla web site from Gallaudet’s Clerc
Center
http://www.deafness.about.com/a site
with information on all aspects of
deafness