Standard 25: Other Qualified Personnel

Qualified professional and other support personnel who have the skills and abilities to meet the students who are D/HH's educational needs as identified in the IFSP/IEP/504 Plan have the capable of providing appropriate instruction and services to achieve the student's educational goals. Skills include proficiency in the student's primary mode of communication, knowledge of accommodations necessary to meet the student's needs, knowledge of national, state, and local resources, and knowledge of selection, use, and maintenance of assistive technology.

Educational Audiologist

Educational audiologists specialize in the practice of audiology in educational settings to address the communication and learning needs of children/youth and particularly, the use of hearing assistive technology. All audiologists providing services to children hold an Ohio Board License in Audiology. In addition to assessments (See Section 2 for a description of audiological assessments), the educational audiologist is an integral member of the IFSP/IEP/504 Plan team contributing to the planning and delivery of (re)habilitation services. Examples of services educational audiologists provide in school setting:

• Perform comprehensive audiological evaluations, interpret test results and provide implications for instruction, and make recommendations to enhance communication access and learning.
• Assess classroom acoustics and make recommendations to improve classroom listening environments.
• Provide hearing assistive technology services including educating students, teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing, and other school personnel regarding technology performance and expectations.
• Participate in initial and review IEP and 504 meetings to address audiological and communication access needs, services, and placement determination.
• Participate as member of the school multidisciplinary special educational team.

Further, educational audiologists support the school's responsibility of “ensuring that the hearing aids worn in school by children with hearing impairments, including deafness, are functioning properly” and “that the external components of surgically implanted medical devices are functioning properly.” IDEA 2004, §300.113(a)(b)(1)

The educational audiologist may perform the following activities with children: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2002) (ASHA Guidelines for Audiology Service Provision in and for Schools) and Educational Audiology Association (2009)'

• Provide community leadership to ensure that all infants, toddlers, and youth who are deaf/hard of hearing are promptly identified, evaluated, and provided with appropriate intervention services.
• Collaborate with community resources to implement an early hearing loss detection and intervention program and follow-up.
• Develop and supervise a hearing screening program for preschool and school-aged children.
• Train audiometric technicians or other appropriate personnel to screen for hearing loss.
• Perform comprehensive follow-up audiological evaluations.
• Assess central auditory function.
• Make appropriate referrals for further audiological, communication, educational, psychosocial, or medical assessment.
• Interpret audiological assessment results to other school personnel.
• Serve as a member of the educational team in the evaluation, planning, and placement process, to make recommendations regarding placement, related service needs, and modification of classroom environments for students with hearing loss or other auditory problems.
• Provide in-service training regarding hearing, hearing loss prevention, and hearing loss and its resulting implications for communication and learning to school personnel about hearing loss prevention.
• Make recommendations about the use of hearing aids, implanted devices, group and classroom amplification, and hearing assistive technology.
• Ensure the proper fit and functioning of hearing aids, functioning of implanted devices, group and classroom amplification, and assistive devices.
• Analyze classroom noise and acoustics and make recommendations for improving the listening environment.
• Manage the use and calibration of audiometric equipment.
• Collaborate with the school, families, teachers, special support personnel, and relevant community agencies and professionals to ensure delivery of appropriate services.
• Make recommendations for assistive devices (radio/television, computer, telephone, alerting, convenience) for students with hearing loss.
• Provide services, including family counseling and training when appropriate, in the areas of speechreading, listening, communication strategies, use and care of amplification, including implanted devices, and self-advocacy of hearing needs.
• Administration of measurement protocols that document students' progress in relation to intervention strategies.
• Meet with individual students to discuss deafness (hearing loss) thus empowering them with knowledge related to their deafness.
• Some of these responsibilities may be shared with the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing and the speech language pathologist. Because of the overlap in the training and skills of these professionals, it is imperative that the professionals work collaboratively to provide team-based services to children who are deaf/hard of hearing and their families.

Educational Interpreter

Students who are D/HH may require the services of an oral or sign language interpreter/transliterator for access to educational material presented by the teacher, support personnel, and participation in class discussions. Educational interpreters employed by school districts and are licensed can provide interpreting services in school setting for students who are D/HH.

Ohio Administrative of Codes 3301-24-05 (E)(1)(c) states the educational interpreters shall have license obtained through Department of Education and Workforce. This associate license, valid for five years, shall be issued to an individual who holds an associate degree' and has completed an approved program of preparation in interpreting for deaf/ hard of hearing.

The following service provision requires licensure according to 2011 Ohio Guidelines for Educational Interpreters:

As an Educational Interpreter:

• Facilitate all communication in the classroom
• Interpret at school functions (may be additional contract time for events outside of school day)
• Adapt signing level to communication needs of the student(s)
• Assist the student(s) and the professionals in understanding the role of the interpreter
• Ensure an appropriate environment (e.g., lighting, seating)
• Prepare for content and message delivery to include securing resources for vocabulary development
• Provide clear and appropriate information for substitute interpreters
• Accommodate interpreting services to the developmental level and needs of the student (i.e. implementing the student's IEP)
• Work in a context of supporting and scaffolding development in varying domains

As a Team Member, the Educational Interpreter:

Collaborates with the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and other team members to:

• Promote student independence
• Encourage direct communication access in various interactions
• Interpret content and non-content areas
• Address concerns related to a student's needs
• Promote student participation in classroom discussions and activities
• Educate others regarding the implications of hearing loss
• Participate in the Evaluation Team Report (ETR) and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) progresses
• Protect the family's confidentiality by only discussing the student with the educational team
• Support the team in establishing goals for the student in order to foster self-advocacy skills and social/ emotional development

Language Facilitator

Sometimes a students may be of age to begin kindergarten but their language foundation is not in place as compared to their peers. To best support the language development the team may need to consider hiring a language facilitator to increase the student's receptive and expressive language to allow for more effective communication with a sign language interpreter.

The Language Facilitator's role is not one of interpreter but rather the individual who makes it possible for the student who is D/HH with minimal language to access the educational content and encourage interaction with peers while building language and communication skills. The facilitator takes directions and cues from the teacher and student to facilitate communication using language appropriate for the child and scaffold where necessary to build expressive and receptive skills. The facilitator assists staff and peers in developing communication strategies with the student. That person interprets or paraphrases instructions, stories told aloud and other spoken exchanges of the teacher and classmates. In addition, the facilitator may be asked to teach small groups, to tutor one-on-one and/or perform other tasks specific to the given environment.

Typical responsibilities of the language facilitator may include:

• Facilitate the communication between students and the classroom teachers, administrators, peers and other school staff
• Serve as a member of education team for the student, participate in professional development and consulting with regular education staff
• Enable the student to take on more responsible for his/her own education and communicative competence
• Monitor student comprehension and provide instructional reinforcement as needed under the direction of the teacher of the deaf and/or general classroom teacher
• Introduce and explain vocabulary, repeating and reinforcing classroom instruction, fostering appropriate classroom communication strategies and student self-advocacy skills
• Ensure the student has equal access to auditory information in school environment

Deafblind Intervener

Deafblind Interveners provide access to information and communication and facilitate the development of social and emotional well-being for children who are deafblind. In educational environments, intervener services are provided by an individual, typically a paraprofessional, who has received specialized training in Deafblindness and the process of intervention. An Intervener provides consistent one-to-one support to a student who is deafblind (age 3-21) throughout the instructional day.

Working under the guidance and direction of a student's classroom teacher or another individual responsible for ensuring the implementation of the student's IEP, an intervener's primary roles are to:

• Provide consistent access to instruction and environmental information that is usually gained by typical students through vision and hearing, but that is unavailable or incomplete to an individual who is deafblind'
• Provide access to and/or assist in the development and use of receptive and expressive communication skills'
• Facilitate the development and maintenance of trusting, interactive relationships that promote social and emotional well-being' and,
• Provide support to help a student form relationships with others and increase social connections and participation in activities.

As a team member, an intervener:

• Participates as an active member of the student's educational team,
• Attends and participates in IEP meetings,
• Attends regularly scheduled planning and feedback meetings with the teacher and other team members,
• Is actively supervised and supported by the classroom teacher and other professionals responsible for the child's IEP, and
• Receives ongoing support from professional educators with expertise in Deafblindness.

Classroom Speech to Text Services

For some students who are D/HH, real-time captioning provides the most effective access to communication in the general education classroom. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is delivered by a captioner in the classroom or remotely using the internet. Variations of CART through programs such as C-Print and TypeWell offer text interpreting options that are individualized to the language and learning needs of the student. Speech to text software provides another option but must be used cautiously as they often contain many typographical errors that can impede comprehension. These options provide immediate electronic printouts of spoken communication in the classroom. Individuals providing these services must be appropriately trained.

Classroom Notes

When students who are D/HH participate in general education classes, they are visually attending to the teacher or educational interpreter to access and learn the instructional material presented. Thus, they are unable to take notes like their hearing peers. However, with the aid of classroom teacher notes, the information can be recorded accurately and in a form conducive for study.

Speech Language Pathologist

A speech language pathologist holds the Ohio Board License as a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) to provide direct services. The SLP must demonstrate appropriate competencies to work with students who are D/HH to provide diagnostic, instructional, and consultative services as determined by the IEP team.

Typical duties include but are not limited to:

• Provide assessment of spoken language, speechreading, auditory, listening skills, and social communication skills
• Collaborate with the early intervention provider or teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, ASL specialist, and other support personnel in the assessment of receptive and expressive language skills, and social communication skills
• Provide direct instruction in speech, language, speechreading, auditory and listening skills, social communication skills and self-advocacy skills
• Work in cooperation with the early intervention provider or teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, ASL specialist, and/or educational interpreters to identify and implement strategies that develop communication, language, and related academic skills
• Assist the early intervention provider, school personnel, and families to enhance the student's overall communication skills
• Assess the student's communication including gestures, spoken language, speech, and/or sign skills
• Assisting the student when age approximate and the personnel on site on monitor and troubleshoot hearing aids, implanted devices, and hearing assistive technology.

Oral language instruction and auditory skill development may be provided by a SLP or by an appropriately trained early intervention provider or teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing. An interpreter should accompany a student for speech-language therapy in situations where the SLP is not sufficiently competent in sign language to communicate instructions and other information to the student.

School Psychologist

To successfully provide assessments to the students who are D/HH, the licensed school psychologist has the competencies to work with students to provide accurate diagnostic interpretative and consultative services as determined by the IEP team. However, in the reality of today's educational environments is a shortage of qualified school psychologists to provide assessments directly with the students who are D/HH. Assessment and Educational Evaluations Guidelines for the students who are deaf/hard of hearing provides invaluable information on providing assessments to the student.

A school psychologist should demonstrate the following to provide supports for students who are D/HH possess:

• Training/background in the psychological and sociological aspects of deafness
• Training and knowledge to assess cultural and linguistic factors related to deafness and their implications on performance
• Knowledge of issues related to non-discriminatory assessment, particularly as it pertains to students who are D/HH and who are from racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities
• Proficiency in the student's primary mode of communication for direct communication during assessment, counseling, and other interactions when the psychologist lacks communication proficiency, an interpreter should facilitate communication between the student and the psychologist always ensuring that the interaction and student's intent is conveyed accurately.

The responsibilities of the school psychologist include:

• Select, administer, and interpret verbal and nonverbal assessment instruments appropriate for students
• Assess areas of cognitive/intellectual, psychosocial, and independent living skills of students
• Assess social and emotional aspects of behavior and their implications for educational placement and achievement
• Provide group and individual counseling when needed
• Provide family training and counseling when identified on the IFSP/IEP
• Consult with school personnel regarding the needs of students

Career/Vocational Specialist

The career/vocational specialist should develop and enhance programs that will provide preparatory experiences for students who are D/HH. It is recommended this personnel collaborate with teacher(s) of the deaf/hard of hearing and/or Educational Audiologist to provide career/vocational services to the students.

Typical responsibilities of the career/vocational specialist may include:

• Design and implement programs for career education within the structure of the existing curriculum for preschool through high school program completion
• Provide training in the student's specific occupational interests
• Conduct individual career assessments
• Interpret and utilize career assessment results in the development of the Individualized Transition Plan (ITP)
• Assist classroom teachers with the assessment of career awareness, interests, and aptitudes
• Assist classroom teachers to make use of results from career assessments at various levels
• Identify and obtain materials for staff in-service training
• Establish a career education resource center
• Coordinate job training facilities for classroom training and on-the-job training
• Identify job sites for students' observation and on-the-job training
• Provide outreach service to the community
• Provide students with information regarding safety requirements and occupational safety concerns of various employment situations
• Use resources for the students to develop transition skills
• Assists the students in applying for and maintaining employment

Paraprofessionals/Instructional Assistants

The special education paraprofessional/instructional assistant working under the supervision of a licensed teacher for the deaf/hard of hearing or general education teacher, can play a vital role in the educational program for students. It is important for the students' learning needs to have these individuals be skilled and demonstrate proficiency in communicating with students who are D/HH in their preferred language and communication mode. Special education paraprofessionals /instructional assistants are not sign language interpreters and should not be used as such unless stated on the student's IEP.

When transportation is included, the bus driver or other responsible adult providing the transportation should be able to communicate with the student(s) on the bus/cab/van in a manner that is appropriate to the student's preferred mode of communication.