Judy Sexton, Clarke’s chief program officer, has recently been published in District Administration. She shares best practices for facilitating success for students who are deaf or hard of hearing who use listening and spoken language in mainstream schools.
In successful scenarios, school administrators:
- Personally welcome and establish a warm relationship with the student and family
- Provide a supportive school culture and become part of the student’s support team
- Are well-informed about special education regulations (specifically the procedural safeguards designed to protect the rights of children with disabilities and their parents)
- Think deeply about their responsibility to make learning inclusive, including making the physical environment engaging, developmentally appropriate and accessible for all students
- Are knowledgeable about what it means to be deaf or hard of hearing and about the resources available to students in their school community
Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of children who are deaf or hard of hearing entering mainstream schools by kindergarten—sometimes even earlier. Clarke remains committed to helping administrators and teachers be prepared to help students who are deaf or hard of hearing succeed from day-one.
