Prevalence+&+The+Education+Process

=__ Prevalence and The Importance of Communication __=

As educators, it is important to recognize the conditions that our students may face—especially those which can affect their ability to learn. According to Mitchell (2005), “fewer than 1 in 20 Americans are currently deaf or hard of hearing. In round numbers, nearly 10,000,000 persons are hard of hearing and close to 1,000,000 are functionally deaf… and less than 4% are under 18 years of age (p. 112). Although these statistics indicate that a relatively small percentage of our students will be deaf or hard of hearing, it is the teacher’s responsibility to accommodate their students in every way possible.

Educating deaf or hard of hearing students can be a difficult process. Successfully teaching deaf/hard of hearing students is a collaborative process that requires a great deal of communication, cooperation and feedback between the teacher, the student and their parents. When teaching a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, it is imperative that the teacher learn as much as possible about the student, their learning preferences and the degree to which their disability affects their ability to communicate and learn. By learning how a deaf/hard of hearing individual’s learning experience is affected, teachers can alter their methods of instruction appropriately to enhance that student’s ability to understand and achieve academic success.

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