Deaf/Hard of Hearing

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see"
                                                                                      Mark Twain

Referral Process

Students may be referred for the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing program if a documented hearing loss interferes with processing linguistic information and adversely affects communication, developmental skills, academic achievement, vocational-career skills, or social-emotional adjustment.

Eligibility

A student is eligible for a special program for the deaf or hard-of-hearing if the following criteria are met.

1. Evidence of a documented permanent or fluctuating hearing threshold of
1. 25 dB +/- 5 dB or greater based on pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz unaided in the better ear; or
2. A high frequency hearing threshold level of 25 dB +/- 5 dB or greater based on pure tone average of 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz unaided in the better ear; or
3. A unilateral hearing threshold level of 50 dB +/- 5 dB or greater based on pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz unaided.
   
2. Evidence that the hearing threshold level interferes with progress in any one of

the following areas: developmental skills or academic performance, social-

emotional development, or linguistic and communicative skills, and that the

student requires special education and/or related services in order to benefit

from education.

3. Students are eligible for services from birth until they graduate (receive a standard diploma or GED) or until age 22.

RELATED SERVICES and SUPPLEMENTARY AIDS and SERVICES:

Classroom amplification, desktop amplification, and personal FM systems are provided per the recommendation of the student’s audiologist and availability of equipment. Occupational therapy, physical therapy and mental health counseling are related services available for all students who meet the eligibility criteria for those services.

Curriculum

Martin County is under a Multi-District agreement with St. Lucie County. Students needing full-time placement with a teacher of the deaf/hard-of-hearing and/or sign language interpreter are served in St. Lucie County. Placement in the St. Lucie County program shall be a team decision and only considered when the student’s needs are not being met by their current educational placement in Martin County. The curriculum for each student with a disability will be determined by the IEP team and will be initiated with the assumption of access to the general curriculum with appropriate accommodations. Curriculum decisions reflect progress toward a standard high school diploma for most students with disabilities and progress toward a special diploma for those students with cognitive disabilities who need a functional curriculum to address their specific needs.

Training

In Martin County a yearly inservice for teachers who have deaf/hard-of-hearing students in their classroom is offered. Additionally, the services of a Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Program Consultant are available throughout the year to provide hands on assistance to teachers, para-professionals, and speech language pathologists working with a deaf/hard-of-hearing student. The Consultant is also available to work with and counsel parents of deaf/hard-of-hearing students or the students themselves. A wide variety of training opportunities are provided county-wide for all teachers depending on the needs of the students in their classrooms.