Happy Thanksgiving!

We are grateful for YOU!

 Here at the Center we want to share our gratitude for all of our families, partners, and staff. We hope you and your family enjoy your Thanksgiving break together. 

Check out this ASL Thanksgiving Vocabulary Video below:

Hearing Screenings and our Mobile Audiological Unit

 

It is that time of year when schools begin their hearing screenings of their students. 

If you are a Teacher for the Deaf (TOD), it is very important that you are a part of that follow-up. It is important to be a part of this process to be sure that families know what steps to take if their child is referred for additional screening/tests. 

Here at the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education you can connect with our team of Audiologists to have a hearing screening done for you child, for FREE!  To schedule an appointment or to learn more please contact them at: 317-232-7349. If you have a family that is too far from our location here in Indianapolis, you an work to schedule the mobile unit to come to your school district to help check on multiple students.

Click the video below to take a tour of our outfitted RV!

When you reserve the Mobile Unit to your school district, our Center staff will bring their expertise to you! School staff and community partners may join alongside to help address the needs of children who are deaf and hard of hearing, or have indicated that they needed to be screened additionally from your latest hearing screenings. Having the mobile unit and staff visit will address areas such as specialized early intervention services, educational audiology, classroom strategies, communication needs and technology. 

Our mobile unit is outfitted with a professional sound booth, audiology equipment for hearing testing, and troubleshooting hearing technology. It is also equipped with a consultation area to discuss options and opportunities with our professional and certified staff. 

While our Center will assist with the immediate needs the day of our visit, we will be equally focused on connecting children, families, and professionals to resources within your community for long-term support. 

The Mobile Unit

To schedule and learn more on how this would work in your community, please contact the Center:

Join us for a Virtual Conference - Topics in Audiology - Audiological Supports in Education and Early Developme

Click the above image to register for our conference!

About this event

Practical technology tips, connectivity considerations, and ways pediatric/clinical audiologists can support children and educators.

Keynote Speaker: Krista Yuskow, Au.D., R. AuD

Beyond Amplification

Clinical audiologists are not typically able to see the extensive effort of their fittings or mappings at work beyond the clinic walls. While a clinician’s window to their patients’ daily listening environments is limited to subjective feedback, educational audiologists have the unique opportunity of observing and addressing barriers to auditory access beyond hearing aids and cochlear implants. This session will explore some of those barriers and provide considerations and related strategies.

Other Presenters & Topics will Include:

Sarah Kiefer, MA Ed., Deaf Education Coordinator, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education

• Indiana update on current educational trends for children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Bethany Colson M.A., M.S.D.E., CCC-SLP, Executive Director, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education

• Indiana Deaf Education and Assessments of Language (IDEAL) - What audiologists and other providers need to know.

Allison Soll, Au.D, CCC-A, Pediatric Account Manager, Oticon Inc.

Evan Claytor, Au.D., Account Manager Children's Hospitals & Schools, Phonak US

• Assistive listening technology options for the classroom, featuring presentations by Oticon and Phonak.
• Practical technology tips and connectivity considerations in the classroom and ways pediatric and clinical audiologists can support children and educators.

Cindy Lawrence, MA-CCC-A, Early Intervention Coordinator, Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education

• Indiana early intervention for children who are deaf and hard of hearing - Benefits of audiologists collaborating with other EI providers.

Suzanne Foley, M.A., Au.D., CCC-A Director, Indiana EHDI Program

• Indiana EHDI’s Best Practice Diagnostic Follow-up Guidelines.

We hope to see you there!

Teachers' DEN: Language Rich Environments

 Language Rich Environments …            
The other LRE to consider for your DHH students

The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is most likely the term that you are familiar with as it is one of the vital components developed in a child’s IEP. The least restrictive environment ensures your student has the necessary access in and out of their classrooms. However, have you, or your case conference committee, considered if your Deaf and Hard of Hearing student’s least restrictive environment is also the one providing language rich opportunities?

Check the below infographic to see if these situations are being covered in their classroom(s). If they’re not already in place, we encourage you to reach out to your school team to facilitate these opportunities. That way you can make their Least Restrictive Environment is truly a Language Rich Environment. 

Please link and share this information with your colleagues!

Language and Literacy Corner: Visual Vernacular

Check out these great examples!

“TIR”, which means “truck” in Polish, is a short story about how small decisions, fractions of a second, can affect people’s lives.

Deaf Fest Visual Vernacular: The Body

Here are some more examples of Visual Vernacular videos (Use your eyes): • Visual Vernacular—The Center for Public Television • Visual Vernacular Stories: Meet Catbot! • The Performance!

TEACHERS' DEN - The Unexpected Benefits of Virtual Learning

The Unexpected Benefits of Virtual Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly shifted the approach to education. While there have been numerous downsides that students have experienced over the last year, there have been a great deal of benefits that have emerged. While not all of these benefits apply to every virtual education setting, opportunities for enhanced accessibility, inclusivity and overall universal design for learning continue to be on the rise.

• Virtual education means no face coverings to create visual or auditory barriers to access.
• While using a device, students have improved visual access to whoever is speaking—teachers or students. Students can see all peers on screen and view speaking peers in a larger window.
• Video conference platforms have embedded additional accessibility features by offering auto-subtitles and captioning. Teachers have increased the usage of closed captioning on videos.
• Students can directly connect hearing assistive technology to devices and have enhanced access to teachers and students without having to pass around a microphone to each speaker.
• Students have an increased ability to control background noise and visual environment. Students are afforded flexible seating options in remote settings.
• Students are quickly and easily able to ask their teachers questions or for clarification.
• Students have been able to remotely participate and receive services from non-local programs that specialize in deaf education.
• Teacher notes and recorded sessions are digitally available to pause, rewind and view/review multiple times to aid in comprehension. Assignments are posted and available virtually.
• There has been an increase in access to qualified interpreters since location is not a barrier.  Students are able to see an interpreter and the educational content in the same visual field. There is also an ease in securing substitute interpreters in the virtual space.
• There are increased opportunities for direct instruction from the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing—professionals can virtually attend meetings without having to plan for transition time between classrooms or buildings.
• Parent participation in IEP meetings has increased as parents are able to attend on lunch breaks rather than having to take time off of work to travel and attend.
• The use of technology and advanced features sharpens digital, technical, and typing skills.
• Teachers have reported that interactive virtual lessons have increased focus and self-discipline.

Tacklin' Assessment - Vestibular Loss and Learning

 

 Vestibular Loss and Learning

Sources: 

1.    Lacroix E, Edwards MG, De Volder A, et al. Neuropsychological profiles of children with vestibular loss. Journal of vestibular research: equilibrium & orientation. 2020;30(1):25-33.

2.       Braswell J, Rine RM. Evidence that vestibular hypofunction affects reading acuity in children. International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology. 2006;70(11):1957-65.