Mainstreaming Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Mainstreaming Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Mainstreaming deaf and hard of hearing students into oral based classes is a topic that continues to have the greatest concerns in educational research and one of the largest concerns among the deaf community.

More and more deaf and hard of hearing students are being mainstreamed into the hearing world, better known as oral based classes. What will it take to make mainstreaming an effective process for deaf and hard of hearing students?

Collaboration among regular education teachers, teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing, parents, and the student themselves must work as a team. If not, the mainstreaming process will not be a success. As for the deaf student, acceptance in the hearing world may be a problem. Some students are not acceptable to differences. Deaf students within the deaf community, whom signify deaf culture and their deaf heritage proudly, feel that being mainstreamed into oral based classes isolates them and even estranges them from the deaf population.

I deeply want to see how effective mainstreaming can be for deaf and hard of hearing students. Are deaf and hard of hearing students accepted outside of a self-contained class, being able to mingle with children that are hearing? Do mainstreaming provide these students with more confidence and prepare them socially in hearing surroundings? Last but not least, do deaf and hard of hearing students feel separated from there like peers in the deaf community? My belief of this matter is based on Public Law 94-142, which requires deaf and hard of hearing students the opportunity to be mainstreamed and be apart of a regular school setting being able to interact with the general public school population. Which leads me to believe that it takes a team to make this effective for deaf and hard of hearing students.

Teachers, parents, and students can help by giving me feedback on how mainstreaming with deaf and hard of hearing students work for them. They can give suggestions or concerns from their own experiences. All can give ways they feel that mainstreaming can be effective. They also can give the progressions and regressions of the mainstreaming process. All parties has agreed to help out the best way they can in helping me get the information I need for this project.

Many studies have been done on the mainstreaming of deaf and hard of hearing students. Of the couple of studies I have read, they basically state that the mainstreaming of deaf and hard of hearing students is greatly effective. It takes committed parents, student candidates that are willing and able to do their duties as a student, teacher collaboration and necessary resources. Over all a strong based team approach system.

In my literature review, I will define mainstreaming, teacher collaboration, deaf culture, hard of hearing, types of hearing devices and deaf v/s Deaf. I will discuss the history