Standard 29: Facilities

The facilities where students who are D/HH are educated may include:

• Specialized materials, equipment, and services that provide communication access to the core curriculum
• Clean, well-lit, and acoustically appropriate classrooms that meet. When designing the environment, a team can reference the American National Standard on Classroom Acoustics for optimizing speech understanding.
• Visual emergency warning signals or other alert systems put in place by the school for situations such as Lockdowns, secure mode, tornados, etc.
• Technology based instructional tools and curriculum materials for learning
• Sufficient space to accommodate individual, small-group, or whole-class instruction as well as the use and storage of necessary special equipment and teaching materials
• Space for itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, speech language pathologists, and other support personnel that is clean, well-lit, acoustically appropriate, and of adequate size for instruction and for storage of instructional materials
• Private space where parent conferences and IFSP/IEP/504 plan meetings can be held
• Videophone

Assessing the facilities allows teams to consider what needs to be in place enhance, rather than distract, student learning. Special attention should be given to the following aspects of the environment for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing:

Color: Because of the importance of sensory clues, color that will provide contrasting background for ease in speechreading and reception of sign language is essential.

The facilities where students who are D/HH are educated may include:

• Specialized materials, equipment, and services that provide communication access to the core curriculum
• Clean, well-lit, and acoustically appropriate classrooms that meet. When designing the environment, a team can reference the American National Standard on Classroom Acoustics for optimizing speech understanding.
• Visual emergency warning signals or other alert systems put in place by the school for situations such as Lockdowns, secure mode, tornados, etc.
• Technology based instructional tools and curriculum materials for learning
• Sufficient space to accommodate individual, small-group, or whole-class instruction as well as the use and storage of necessary special equipment and teaching materials
• Space for itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, speech language pathologists, and other support personnel that is clean, well-lit, acoustically appropriate, and of adequate size for instruction and for storage of instructional materials
• Private space where parent conferences and IFSP/IEP/504 plan meetings can be held
• Videophone

Assessing the facilities allows teams to consider what needs to be in place enhance, rather than distract, student learning. Special attention should be given to the following aspects of the environment for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing:

Color: Because of the importance of sensory clues, color that will provide contrasting background for ease in speechreading and reception of sign language is essential.

Acoustics: When hearing aids/implanted devices and hearing assistance technologies are used by children who are deaf/hard of hearing or when a child with a cochlear implant is in a classroom, special consideration should be given to the control and reduction of noise that can be distracting. Acoustical interrupters are not always glaringly obvious to people who have become accustomed to the sound or who are able to differentiate between background noise and speech. To ensure an environment has been comprehensively assessed, an educational audiologist or teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing should be involved in the modification of a classroom. Additionally, the American Speech -Language-Hearing Association offer tips for creating a good listening environment in the classroom.

Antistatic precautions: The education team can consulate with the cochlear implant audiologist for specific recommendations for reducing or avoiding exposure to static electricity in the classroom. High levels of static electricity can damage internal and external cochlear implant equipment making it less effective.

Lighting: Students who are D/HH use their eyes extensively in the educational setting. Non-glare lighting is preferred and large windows should have adjustable window coverings to reduce glare when necessary.

Emergency warning and signaling devices: Students who are D/HH often are unable to hear fire alarms. Bathrooms, hallways, offices, and play areas should be equipped with visual emergency warning devices, such as strobe lights or other electrical flashing devices, as an accommodation. Other visual cues may be utilized as well such as pre-determined symbol on a paper or gesture for a given alert within the school.

Technology and teaching equipment: Teachers frequently use multimedia equipment in their instructional activities. Because teachers usually face students to communicate, efficient and accessible audiovisual equipment, along with other equipment, is necessary. The intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and 21st Century Media Accessibility Act supports the use of (but not limited to) the following equipment in classrooms for children who are deaf/hard of hearing:

• Computers with high-speed internet access
• Televisions with closed captioning
• Media (DVD players, TV or computers) can be connected to hearing assistance technology
• Overhead projectors
• DVD players
• Telephone amplifiers
• Videophones
• Real-time captioning equipment
• Cameras
• Interactive white boards/Interwrite Boards
• Tablets

Audiological equipment: School based audiology assessment sites for students should have access to the following equipment for audiology services:

• Sound booth equipped with specialized lighting and reinforcement equipment for testing young children who are difficult to test
• Audiologic assessment equipment (electroacoustic immittance meter, diagnostic audiometer, electroacoustic hearing aid/DM/FM analyzer with real ear measurement capability)
• Otoscope
• Sound level meter or application
• Hearing assistance technology, including loop and personal DM/FM systems, with appropriate coupling options to personal hearing aids and cochlear implants; sufficient back-up equipment must be available for use when technology is being repaired.
• Accessory supplies for troubleshooting hearing aids/cochlear implants, DM/FM systems, and other technologies; making and repairing earmolds;

Other audiological materials should be available for teachers, SLPs or others who are providing services that include:

• Kits for hearing aid and DM/FM equipment monitoring and troubleshooting that include a battery tester, stethoset, and cleaning materials for ear molds, the Ling Six Sound Test, and charting materials for recording results
• Materials and visual aids for in-service training
• Auditory skill development materials