For these students, I had to go back to basics. I’d like to pass on a few ideas for fun and effective activities that can be used in online learning situations.

10  Low-Tech Ideas

• 1. Scavenger hunts – Using vocabulary words your students are learning, have them find objects in their home for a show and tell. I created a grid for opposites. We used shapes, colors, the five senses, multiple meaning words, comparatives and superlatives (big, bigger, biggest), object functionality, and container types.  Emotion words can be used as well, though not necessarily with tangible objects (describe a situation that made/makes you happy, angry, thankful, laugh out loud, etc.). For middle school students, you could use the periodic table of elements (show a household  example of the element Fe).

• 2. Vocabulary and Following directions – one of my student’s goals was to follow a two to three-step direction. I gave her directions to go to a specific room in her house, find something, bring it back and describe it. For example: Go to the kitchen, find something you eat for breakfast and the utensil/dish  you use to eat it, and bring it back.

• 3. Language and vocabulary – A tour of the home (with parent permission). My students enjoyed being able to show me around their homes and some of the things that were special to them (stuffed animals, pets, games). This was a great conversation starter and allowed us to also learn terms for some common objects and work on conversational turn taking.

• 4. Memory and vocabulary – Remember that game where items were put on a tray and shown for 10 seconds or so, and you were asked to write down or say what you saw? Start with 2 or 3 items and go up to as many as you can with students either putting answers in the chat function, writing on a whiteboard, or signing/saying what they saw. Share your screen with photos you’ve taken of the items, then “unshare” when the ten or so seconds are up.

• 5. Sequencing – For students who had a computer and a phone, take pictures of something that can be broken into steps, or has an obvious progression and show them. For example, making a sandwich, brushing teeth, doing a puzzle.  Ask students to describe the sequence using their pictures.

• 6. Math – if you and the student have a deck of cards, War is a game you can play to learn or reinforce the concepts of more than, less than. The winner of each hand has to state the math sentence, for example, “Five is greater than three.” The loser has to state the math sentence, “Three is less than five.” Math fact flashcards can also be used to practice facts.

• 7. Language, Vocabulary, Grammar (tense) markers – School or family pictures . My students love seeing pictures of my family, and especially pictures of me when I was in school (now quite some time ago!). With parent assistance, ask your student to find some pictures of their families and talk about them. Because I am with my students for years, I have scores of pictures of them. The older students enjoy seeing pictures of them and their classmates in their younger years.  For digital pictures, you can put together a deck of ten slides with pictures (it doesn’t have to be elaborate). For those of us who have actual photos, gather them up and show them. This is fun with school yearbooks as well.

• 8. Movement – Virtual dance party. I asked students for their favorite (school appropriate) songs, and then put together a playlist of dance videos. I had a group of students attend, but most of the movement was done by me. It worked better when they brought a stuffed animal or other prop and made it dance, and then got into dancing with their toy.

• 9. ‘Deaf’ Days – Schedule an optional call with your group and use one of the activities here as an icebreaker. My students enjoyed seeing each other online and getting to know more about one another. We had virtual ‘picnics’ and just visited with each other.  Some students had questions about the quarantine, the virus, and what it all meant for their families. It was a good non-threatening way to talk through some of their concerns and fears, and of course, challenging communication situations.

• 10. Writing – Using a predetermined topic, or just a chat, let students know that the only way to communicate is to use the chat function. Have them turn off their voices or signing hands and type.

Virtual learning can be fun AND effective with some creativity. Despite the obvious challenges, we have learned to persevere through the access challenges of virtual learning and in doing so have learned so much about ourselves and each other.

From Teacher Tools Takeout here are some downloadable worksheets and/or more ideas on vocabulary development and attributes:

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0842-multiple-meaning-words

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0882-attributes

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0883-attributes

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0884-attributes

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0885-attributes

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0886-attributes

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0888-attributes

https://teachertoolstakeout.com/0889-attributes

Auditory memory:

https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/product/no-glamour-memory-second-edition/

Auditory skill development:

https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/product-category/auditory-skill-development-products/

Following Directions:

https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/product/no-glamour-following-directions/

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MEETING LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

The U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos recently advised Congress that there was no need to provide any waivers in meeting the needs of students receiving services under IDEA. She reiterated that students with disabilities still have the right to receive a free appropriate public education. DeVos did recommend that a waiver be made to allow toddlers receiving services under Part C have their transition timeline extended if their evaluation dates occur during this window of school closures. For those of you having virtual IEP meetings during this time, check out the Virtual IEP Meeting Tip Sheets created by several programs funded by the Office of Special Education Programs.

RESOURCES:

The National Association of the Deaf has released a position statement on Educating PreK-12 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students During the COVID-19 Outbreak. They have also established a webpage dedicated to Deaf Education Resources for all age levels that might be helpful. Communication Services for the Deaf has a variety of COVID-19 resource links available for the Deaf Community, including a communication card for both deaf and deafblind individuals. In addition, the A.G Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has compiled a list of resources for families and educators. And for those of you who work with Spanish speaking families, you might find this resource developed by the Louisiana School for the Deaf Outreach Program useful! And an great opportunity to have a digital pen pal is available at the DHH Teacher IS in.

Write! Keep a journal of daily activities by writing or drawing, create a lockdown diary, or establish a dialogue journal. Use magnetic letters to create words, write words in shaving cream, or create word labels for various items around the house. Draw pictures and write sentences to create a short story! Stay active! Check out some fun sensory activities at Hearing Like Me. Go on a scavenger hunt throughout your home or in your neighborhood (here’s a scavenger hunt list for older children). Check out this resource for some outdoor activities that specifically address balance, a common issue for many children who are deaf or hard of hearing. If you have access to outdoor space, take advantage of it with these 50 Simple Outdoor Activities for Kids. Learning is a part of our every day lives.  Break away from videos and worksheets! Encourage active learning opportunities that don’t rely on a screen. No matter what you choose to do, know that there is ALWAYS an opportunity to promote language development for our deaf and hard of hearing students. As educators, now is a prime opportunity to support parents in creating language-rich environments within their homes!

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E-Learning Survey Results for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Survey for Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing 

See: Charts displaying information about the respondents, their caseloads, & access

Survey for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (grades 5-12)

See: Charts displaying student responses about access and understanding during online learning

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In spring, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced most schools to provide educational services through remote learning formats. In May, 2020, Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss distributed a survey that was completed by 629 professionals who work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), and a separate survey that was completed by 267 students in grades 5-12 who were receiving services from these educators. The average response time was 55 minutes, resulting in a wealth of information revealing issues and positives.

The ADA requires schools to ensure that students with hearing loss can communicate as effectively as others. The indication that this only occurred for approximately half of students with hearing loss is a very serious concern. Furthermore, many teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing reported that much of their time was spent addressing issues with access through remote learning technology rather than being able to focus on IEP goals. In too many cases, even when their typically hearing peers were engaged in online learning, students with hearing loss could not effectively access communication to be able to fully understand, nor participate.

 A` la carte instructional materials for students who are deaf/hard of hearing.

Remote learning practices included the assignment of work to be completed independently. Due to lifelong communication access issues it is usual for students with hearing loss to have gaps in vocabulary and other language learning, along with weaker executive functioning skills. In a classroom environment, a student who hesitates to begin an assignment can receive assistance from teachers or peers. Remote learning served to expose challenges in completing work independently for many students, at rates greater than had been observed in their classroom performance. Remote learning revealed that addressing these weaknesses systematically through specialized instruction and in-class support at more intense levels than had been provided is likely necessary if students are to be more independent learners. 

Furthermore, specialized instruction in self-advocacy services was clearly necessary if students are to effectively access their communication accommodations. Instruction in self-advocacy to develop skills to recognize when a communication issue has occurred and strategies for how they can act or request to resolve these issues, and work on executive functioning skills, are foundational to students with hearing loss fully participating in their education.

The role of the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing cannot be minimized in the importance to

1) achieve appropriate access accommodations,
2) support student knowledge of their use,
3) develop self-advocacy skills so they can fully participate,
4) provide learning opportunities for groups of students who are deaf/hard of hearing, and
5) provide specialized instruction and support to promote independence and full comprehension necessary to keep pace within the general education curriculum.

While collaboration with other IEP team members is necessary, only the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing has the training and expertise to provide all of these services. An educational audiologist would provide valuable direction and support to access needs. Continuing to provide some instruction online appears effective for many students, which is good news in light of the concerning shortage and overburdened status of itinerant teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing.

• Controlled discussion: During remote learning discussions, students with hearing loss felt they could participate equally with their peers because they were able to follow along with the written discussion and add their own comments rather than struggling to hear during student discussions. This emphasis on access, even during group interactions, underscores the necessity for the student with hearing loss to be fully included.

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Due to concerns with the rapid spread of Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, schools and universities across the country are shutting down their campuses and moving to e-learning or virtual learning.  In light of this, the following resource information  could be helpful as you consider how to provide instruction to your students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

MEETING LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

An important resource regarding our legal responsibilities to provide services to students with disabilities has been released by the U.S. Department of Education. In summary, if general education services are being provided during school closures, Part B and Part C special education services should continue. 

While not easy, it is important to remember that while schools are in session, even remotely, we are still obligated to provide accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services as stated in the IEP so students can still access their education.  The Council for Exceptional Children, and the National Association of the Deaf has shared some excellent information regarding access during remote learning, as well an Education Advocacy letter that reminds us of our legal obligations when providing online courses and examinations.

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education has some #DeafEdTips on E-Learning Accessibility.  It has lots of good reminders and additional resources for both deaf educators and general education teachers.

While more focused on post-secondary access, the National Deaf Center (NDC) has some helpful tips for educators as they switch to online learning.

RESOURCES:

As schools switch to online learning, many education companies are offering FREE subscriptions to their services.  An open access Google Drive document with links to all of those possibilities can be found here.  For those who need to focus on auditory listening, HearBuilder has some resources. Also, check out this Leprechaun Listening Story using ScreenCastify and EdPuzzle. Speech and Language Pathologists, check out this document for ideas.

Some ASL resources can be found at ASL Teaching Resources. ASL videos are available on various YouTube channels: Educational Resource Center on Deafness, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, ASLized!, and Aunt Alice’s ASL TV. Check out additional virtual activities through this LiveBinder.  And lastly, have students create books at Book Creator!

Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is a great resource too. Teachers can assign videos for students to watch and then do follow up assignments. All content is captioned, and audio described and FREE.

Supporting Success Teacher Tools e-magazines are full of ready-to-use materials with your students. Members can download pages to use immediately that can be shared and discussed in an e-format with students.

The Ability Challenge has created a Slack community forum for educators to discuss the provision of special education services and supporting learners with diverse needs during online instruction.

Snapplify offers a library of 50 000+ free e-books. Teachers can sign up for free and also claim exclusive teacher benefits. Excellent to send free e-books to your kids and get them to read while they are at home! You can also share your resources on the platform. Easily integrates with Microsoft and Google for education.

Did you know that Zoom has the capability to add captions during live video sessions that can be recorded?  You can type the closed captions directly via Zoom or you can integrate a third-party service, like Streamer^TM automated captioning that is available from Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss that can add captions in real-time. Streamer is typically 98+% accurate (with the speaker using a microphone) for only $9.97/month (email questions to streamer-support@success4kidswhl.com). Other videoconferencing resources and their caption abilities are available from See Hear Communication Matters (they also have a lot of e-learning resources, including virtual field trip sites on their Facebook page!)

EXPLAINING CORONAVIRUS TO CHILDREN: When trying to explain coronavirus to children, it can be difficult to know what to say.  Two resources to share with families:

• A kid friendly video explaining coronavirus, with captions and a transcript, can be found at Brain Pop.
• A FREE, downloadable coronavirus social story can be found at The Autism Educator.

In addition to Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss Facebook page, there are MANY deaf educator Facebook groups that are discussing these topics and sharing resources. MANY resources and ideas are being shared on these pages. If you are a Facebook user, search for them and join the discussion!  While not education specific, The Daily Moth has a Facebook page that provides frequent updates in ASL on current events that you or your students might find helpful.

Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss has a pinned post on their Facebook page where you can share resources with each other.  Please head over there, support each other, and share away!

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The term “Deaf Plus” refers to having both hearing loss and another disability or eligibility that qualifies the student for special education under the IDEA. It can often be difficult for educational teams to appropriately support these students as some IEP teams will only recognize or focus on one eligibility (ie: only medical issues, only autism, or only hearing loss) and not address all needs with equity. Lack of knowledge about the impacts of hearing loss by teachers and administrators adds to this challenge. The result leaves some students and families without all of the appropriate supports and services they need in the educational setting. Just as children with hearing loss cannot know when they didn’t hear something, specialists and educators don’t know what they don’t know about a disability they have not studied.

Approximately 40% of children with hearing loss have another disability. Newborn Hearing Screening (NBHS) programs test babies for hearing loss prior to leaving the hospital. However, when children are born with other medical conditions or other disabilities that are evident at birth, their hearing loss is typically identified 2 1/2 months later than children with no other medical conditions¹. Unfortunately, children who have medical conditions identified after the newborn period, including but not limited to ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and other physical/medical conditions that are evident at birth, are often not successfully screened for hearing loss. The children may be screened, but because they are hard to test, the results may not be taken seriously, are documented as unreliable, or are not followed up on while the medical professionals and families deal with other identified and known areas of need. Additionally, while the IDEA indicates that IEP teams should not identify children with hearing loss as being eligible for special education under the qualifying condition of Specific Learning Disability (SLD), there are professionals in the field who recognize that children can have both hearing loss and a learning disability.

Following is a comparison of the rates of some disabilities in the general population vs. children with hearing loss. Rates of Conditions Among Children Who Are Deaf/HH²

For children who are Deaf Plus, it is critical to have complete teams both medically and educationally. From a medical perspective, children who are Deaf Plus need to have all appropriate professionals on their team including the pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, developmental pediatrician, geneticist, ophthalmologist, otolaryngologists with knowledge of hearing loss, pediatric audiologist, and others as needed. From an educational perspective, the team needs to include at a minimum the school psychologist, speech/language pathologist (SLP), deaf/hard of hearing specialist (DHH), educational audiologist (Ed AUD), occupational therapist (OT), adaptive physical education specialist (APE), nurse, physical therapist (PT), and all other appropriate providers.

As a teacher and family advocate, have worked with students who have hearing loss plus all of the following additional special education eligibilities:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (AUT)
• Cerebral Palsy
• Visual Impairment (VI)
• Cognitive Delays
• ADD/ADHD
• Down Syndrome
• Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
• Speech Language Impaired (SLI)
• Emotional Disability (ED)
• Other Health Impaired (OHI)

As an IEP team, it is our job to identify all areas of need, draft goals to address those needs, develop supports and services that are appropriate to meet the goals, and make an offer of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Eventually, the time may come that one of the most important discussions for the family and the IEP team has is to determine the primary eligibility. The team must discuss what primary issue is getting in the way of the child accessing his/her educational experience.

If our students who are Deaf Plus are provided with language access and intervention, be it ASL, total communication, or spoken language, and if the child is closing the gap between their chronological age and their hearing age, the team may need to discuss whether hearing loss continues to be the primary eligibility. Our students will always have hearing loss. They will always be “Deaf,” “Deaf/Hard of Hearing,” or “Hard of Hearing.” This is a condition that never goes away. However, there are times when the IEP team needs to identify if the hearing loss is the primary eligibility or the secondary eligibility.

EXAMPLE: A student has hearing loss and is also on the autism spectrum. No matter if the family has chosen total communication, ASL, or spoken language with regard to the hearing loss, there may come a time when the hearing loss has been addressed; the communication needs have been addressed; the child is doing well with regard to his hearing loss; and the team needs to consider if the autism is actually the primary reason that the child is not fully accessing education. Even if the child’s deafness or hearing loss becomes the secondary eligibility, we need to ensure that the DHH Itinerant and Educational Audiologist remain respected members of the IEP team. All providers who have another area of specialty need to have the benefit of the DHH lens present to support them as they serve the student. This same discussion applies to all of the other special education eligibilities.

Melinda Gillinger, M. A
Special Education Consultan
www.melindagillinger.com

References

1. 1. Gallaudet Research Institute, 2005
2. 2. http://www.infanthearing.org/ehdi-ebook/2015_ebook/9-Chapter9ChildrenPLUS2015.pdf

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