Access to deaf educators can be scarce for deaf or hard of hearing students. According to Jill Oswalt, director of Missouri State University’s Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic, before Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) contracted with Missouri State many children were receiving cochlear implants and going back to a classroom without a deaf educator or someone who might understand the new challenges he or she was encountering.
Cochlear implant consultation services
“A lot of the challenges stem from the fact that they’re hearing in a way they hadn’t heard before, so it’s working with them to build their auditory skill development,” Oswalt said. “Some children who get cochlear implants use spoken language to communicate, some use American Sign Language (ASL), and MSU is the only school in the state of Missouri that offers a comprehensive philosophy.”
A comprehensive philosophy, explained Dr. Karen Engler, clinical professor in the communication sciences and disorders department, means that the educators work within whatever communication modality the family has selected, whether it is spoken or ASL.
Since 2009, DESE has awarded grants totaling nearly $170,000 to Oswalt and Engler to offer consultation and education to professionals in the nine regions of Missouri serviced by the Regional Professional Development Centers. They work with speech pathologists, administrators, special education and classroom teachers, and families to develop individualized education plans. In addition, Engler works with these educators on assessing the facilities for auditory challenges.
Speech, Language, Hearing Clinic
In addition to audiology services, the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic also offers speech-language pathology services and administers the Preschool for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
“One of the neat things about the preschool program is that it’s very much a collaborative effort in the community,” added Engler.
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Other DESE funding for the deaf and hard of hearing program
In addition to the cochlear implant consultation grant, DESE has awarded $621,395 in grants and contracts over the past 8 years to the education of the deaf and hard of hearing program. The funding:
- Provided almost $400,000 in scholarships for future teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing
- Developed an online forum and resource for educators of deaf or hard of hearing preschoolers through high schoolers
- Allowed Oswalt and Engler to provide workshops to Missouri’s First Step service providers, a program that services young children from birth to three years
How deaf culture might play a role
“When you have parents who are also deaf or maybe at least one parent who is deaf, a child will grow up – not always, but often – in deaf culture,” explained Engler. “Those parents might make the decision not to have a cochlear implant in their child or not have any amplification in terms of hearing aids. They might want to use American Sign Language as their primary mode of communication and their first language to stay more in tune with that culture.”
Culture is not the only reason a family might not choose a cochlear implant even if their child qualifies at one year old. It’s an invasive surgery, Engler and Oswalt pointed out, and families must factor in the risks of surgery and the possible improvements in technology.