Ensuring an Inclusive Community for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Through Targeted, Consistent Training for Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Abstract

This capstone project explores the pedagogy and cultural awareness required when educating students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) in inclusive settings. The identified problem of practice is that there is often a lack of consistent and targeted training for Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (TDHH). A comprehensive literature review was conducted to examine current research on the specific needs of D/HH students, current preparatory and training practices for TDHH, and the impact of collaboration on creating inclusive environments. All of which influence the outcomes for the growing population of D/HH students educated in the general education environment. Findings revealed that D/HH students have unique needs that require support from qualified and trained TDHH. There is a gap between the research and practice of providing this training to TDHH. A proposed plan for implementing a training framework for district-level personnel aims to build their knowledge of Deaf education and increase their confidence in making informed decisions regarding resource allocation for TDHH training. This Capstone concludes that to effectively support the population of D/HH students served in general education settings, district-level personnel need the pedagogy and cultural awareness that is required when educating D/HH students. The awareness can be used to provide consistent and targeted training for TDHH, supporting the creation of inclusive educational communities for students who are D/HH.