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Students who are deaf and use sign language frequently have language delays that affect their literacy skills. Students who use American Sign Language (ASL) often lack fluent language models in both the home and school settings, delaying both the development of a first language and the development of literacy in printed English. Mediated and scaffolded instruction presented by a More Knowledgeable Other (MKO; Vygotsky, 1978, 1994) may facilitate acquisition of a first foundational language. Repeated viewings of fluent ASL models on DVDs paired with adult mediation has resulted in increases in vocabulary skills for DHH students who used ASL (Cannon, Fredrick, & Easterbrooks, 2010; Golos, 2010; Mueller & Hurtig, 2010). Classifiers are a syntactic sub-category of ASL vocabulary that provides a critical link between ASL and the meaning of English phrases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of teacher-mediated repeated viewings of ASL stories on DHH students’ classifier production during narrative retells. This study included 10 student participants in second, third, and fourth grades and three teacher participants from an urban day school for students who are DHH. The researcher used a multiple baseline across participants design followed by visual analysis and calculation of the percentage of non-overlapping data (PND; Scruggs, Mastropieri, & Casto, 1987) to examine the effects of the intervention. All students increased their classifier production during narrative retells following a combination of teacher mediation paired with repeated viewings of ASL models.

This study examined the experiences of Canadian postsecondary learners who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing and have received services from the campus accessibility office. Data collected from interviews with nine learners were analyzed using a constructivist grounded-theory approach, thus allowing the basic social process (BSP) to emerge. I called this process negotiating communication access in postsecondary education. It consisted of three key supporting processes: (a) advocating for self, (b) navigating the learning environment, and (c) building relationships. The research outcomes achieved in this study include (a) a documented analysis and synthesis of the perceptions of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students specific to the theoretical and practical issues involved in accessing communication support services in postsecondary institutions and (b) a theoretical model that depicts the above synthesis. Last, the discussion chapter contains recommendations for increasing accessibility to postsecondary institutions for learners who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.

abstract: Teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing have served Arizona since 1912 when the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind opened in Tucson, Arizona. Several decades later the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf was established in the Phoenix metropolitan area. To reach deaf and visually impaired students in the rural areas of Arizona, itinerant teachers travel from school to school, providing instruction and consultation with families and school personnel. The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing as to job satisfaction. Four research questions addressed the roles and responsibilities of itinerant teachers: extent of teacher participation in professional development activities; the opinions and attitudes of teachers toward their work; and additional comments and concerns. To answer these questions, 43 participants from five cooperatives established by the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind responded to a modified version of the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey regarding itinerant teacher job satisfaction. Two open-ended questions made this survey a mixed methods study of both quantitative and qualitative data. It was found itinerant teachers worked with students with a variety of hearing losses and educational needs; worked with regular classroom teachers and other school personnel; planned, assessed, and kept records; coordinated and conducted consultation and IEP meetings; worked with parents; provided technical support; traveled to different schools to work with students; provided accommodations and modifications; and provided direct instruction to DHH students. As to professional development, participants found language strategies and content of subjects taught to be useful and most attended. Ninety-one percent of the cooperative teachers seemed satisfied as a teacher. They felt support from administration, were satisfied with how the cooperatives were managed, and agreed that they were recognized for their efforts. Some of the concerns from teachers were their salary, the paperwork involved with itinerant teaching, and the limited amount of resources available to them. Overall, the findings of this study provided a baseline of information that suggest more work needs to be done related to job satisfaction of itinerant teachers. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2016

Trends of obesity increased over the last 3 decades with the obesity rate doubling from 1980 to 2010. People with disability are more likely to experience health disparities including obesity compared to the general population. Yet research on the determinants of obesity such as self-efficacy, hearing levels, and deaf acculturation styles among those who are deaf or hard of hearing (HoH) is limited. This cross-sectional study, using the social cognitive theory framework, examined BMI and self-efficacy differences between deaf/HoH adults and hearing adults, aged 20 years and older. This study also examined the associations between BMI or self-efficacy and factors of hearing level or deaf acculturation style using the Health Belief and Deaf Acculturation Scale surveys, respectively. A total of 241 participants from Gallaudet University participated in this study. Independent sample t tests and multiple linear regressions were used. There were no differences in BMI (t = -0.285, p = 0.777) and nutritional and physical activity self-efficacy (t = -0.962, p = 0.338 and t =0.766, p = 0.446) between deaf/HoH adults and hearing adults. Among deaf/HoH adults, there were no associations between obesity as well as self-efficacy and factors of average hearing level and deaf acculturation style. This study offers evidence to the literature regarding the relationships between obesity or self-efficacy and factors of average hearing level or deaf acculturation styles among deaf/HoH adults. In addition, this study provided implications for social change as a basis for further research and reducing obesity through adopting current obesity programs while ensuring communication and information access for all deaf/HoH adults with varying levels of hearing and acculturation styles.

Recent data regarding social-emotional challenges indicate elevations in behavior problems (BPs) in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children (Austen, 2010; Stevenson et al., 2010; van Eldik et al., 2004). Factors affecting this include family and social contexts, language development (LD), and cochlear implantation (CIs). The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze findings across studies for trends in BPs in DHH children. Specifically, a model of the effect of deafness, CI use, and LD on the emergence of BPs in DHH children as compared to hearing children was examined. Studies were collected through systematic searches of psychology databases supplemented by studies referenced in other sources therein discovered. Random-effects meta-analyses using the restricted maximum likelihood estimation method were non-significant (g = 0.31, SE = 0.20, CI [-0.09, 0.71]), as were subgroup analyses (g = 0.36, SE = 0.22, CI [-0.07, 0.80]). A metaregression using CIs as a predictor evidenced a nonsignificant reduction in BPs for deaf children with CIs and CIs did not significantly predict BPs in deaf children. Unexplained heterogeneity remained elevated in all cases (I2 above 96%). In sensitivity analyses, I2 decreased to 87%, suggesting that designs of included primary studies may have impacted those studies’ data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Unmeasured variables such as LD may explain much of the remaining heterogeneity. Collaborating with researchers worldwide, using more inclusive selection criteria, and enacting a longitudinal design could collect a greater variety of data, creating a more complete understanding of the effect of hearing loss on BPs.

This study was undertaken to explore and understand the attitudes and beliefs of audiology students about Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. The problem of practice was that some audiologists continue to advise parents not to sign with their Deaf or Hard of Hearing children. This problem was studied using the conceptual framework of General Systems Theory, looking at the problem through the lens of Critical Disability Theory, to determine if audiology students view Deaf and Hard of Hearing people from a medical model or from a social/cultural model. Using a qualitative case study methodology, I interviewed six first-year doctor of audiology (AuD) students at a university on the west coast of the United States to delve deeply into their attitudes and beliefs about Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. This study found that these audiology students had overall social/cultural attitudes about Deaf people on the Attitudes to Deafness Scale. Yet, in case-study interviews, which provided a more in-depth look at the views of the students, the terminology the students used demonstrated some institutionalized audist attitudes and beliefs. Every student showed a mixture of medical and social/cultural beliefs. The students made a distinction between the words “Deaf” and “Hard of Hearing.” All the students believed that parents of Deaf children should be offered “communication options” – (signed or spoken language). The four students who had studied American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture were more open to the use of ASL. The two students who had the lowest scores on the Attitudes to Deafness Scale had no experience or background in ASL and demonstrated a preference for amplification technology and spoken language. The students believed that Hard of Hearing children should be raised with spoken language only. The students had a positive attitude about ASL but demonstrated a preference for spoken language. The audiology students understood their role in the medical system, but did not yet understand their part in the Deaf education system. They believed that parent-to-parent support is important but did not understand how audiologists might collaborate with the Deaf community and with teachers of the Deaf as families journey through the process of raising Deaf and Hard of Hearing children.

As of 2007, approximately 2 to 3 million children and adolescents in the United States had been identified as deaf or hard of hearing. These children are affected by all of the same health issues as hearing children, but are presented with an added challenge of communication with hearing nurses who are not always prepared with ways to understand and communicate with them. As a result, deaf and hard of hearing children are at a greater risk for misguided treatment of health disorders, especially the undertreatment of pain. It is imperative that nurses understand ways to best interpret nonverbal communication from these children and to effectively respond to these children nonverbally. Current research has neglected discovering and discussing ways to improve communication with deaf, hard of hearing and nonverbal children, focusing instead on improving verbal communication between nurses and parents, thereby leaving children as passive participants in their own health care. The results of this integrated literature review present simple and effective strategies nurses can implement into daily practice to facilitate communication nonverbally with deaf and hard of hearing children. The use of appropriate technology and assessment tools, better understanding and enhanced use of facial expressions, eye gaze, touch, presence, and personal space were examined. The writing of this review is an effort to encourage nurses and nursing educators to integrate culturally competent care of deaf and hard of hearing children into everyday nursing practice and into a nursing educational curriculum.

Η παρούσα μελέτη εξετάζει τη σχολική και κοινωνική ενσωμάτωση 5 κωφών & βαρήκοων μαθητών που φοιτούν σε περιβάλλον ενσωμάτωσης σε ένα γενικό δημοτικό σχολείο μιας τοπικής περιοχής. Από τους μαθητές που μελετήθηκαν οι 2 παρακολουθούσαν το περιβάλλον της γενικής τάξης με παράλληλη στήριξη ορισμένες ώρες του σχολικού ωραρίου από ειδική δασκάλα. Οι υπόλοιποι 3 μαθητές του σχολείου παρακολουθούσαν κάποιες ώρες του σχολικού ωραρίου τμήμα ένταξης και τις υπόλοιπες συνεκπαιδεύονταν στη γενική τάξη με τους ακούοντες συμμαθητές τους. Για τη μελέτη της σχολικής και κοινωνικής ενσωμάτωσης των κωφών & βαρήκοων μαθητών χρησιμοποιήθηκαν οι ποιοτικές μέθοδοι της παρατήρησης και των ημιδομημένων συνεντεύξεων από τους δασκάλους των μαθητών και το διευθυντή του σχολείου. Συνολικά, έλαβαν χώρα 5 παρατηρήσεις, μία σχολική ημέρα για κάθε παιδί. Τα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης έδειξαν πως η επιτυχία ή η βελτίωση της ήδη υπάρχουσας σχολικής και κοινωνικής ενσωμάτωσης των κωφών & βαρήκοων παιδιών επηρεάζεται από πολλούς διαφορετικούς παράγοντες όπως είναι: (α) το επίπεδο της απώλειας της ακοής, (β) η ενίσχυση του παιδιού με φροντιστηριακά μαθήματα στο σπίτι, (γ) η πρόβλεψη για στήριξη από ειδικό προσωπικό (όπως λογοθεραπευτή) εντός και εκτός του σχολείου, (δ) η καλύτερη και μεγαλύτερη υλικοτεχνική υποδομή, (ε) η στάση των δασκάλων απέναντι στους κωφούς & βαρήκοους μαθητές & η σχετική γνώση και ενσυναίσθησή τους και (στ) η στάση των μαθητών χωρίς προβλήματα ακοής απέναντι στους κωφούς & βαρήκοους συμμαθητές τους. / The present study examines school (academic progress included) and social integration of 5 deaf and hard of hearing students who are educated in mainstreaming in a general elementary school of a local area. Two students attended general class where special teacher offered her parallel support for some hours of the school day. The rest of the students (that means: 3) were educated for some hours of the school day in the special class for deaf and hard of hearing students and for the rest of the school day the latters were educated parallel with their classmates without hearing disabilities in the general class. We examined school and social integration of deaf and hard of hearing students using the qualitative methods of observation and interviews with the teachers of the students and the head of the school. Five observations took place (observation of a whole school day for each student). Results showed that the success or the improvement of school and social integration of deaf and hard of hearing students depends on different parameters like: (a) the level of hearing loss, (b) additional educational support of the child at home, (c) additional support by special staff (like speech therapist) in and out of the school, (d) better and bigger infrastructure of the general school, (e) the attitudes of the teachers at their students with hearing loss as well as their relative knowledge and self-consciousness and (f) the attitudes of the rest of the schoolmates without hearing disabilities at their deaf and hard of hearing peers.

Analizuojant kochlearinio implanto reikšmę žymiai neprigirdinčių ir kurčių vaikų santykių su aplinka pokyčiams, nors kochlearinė implantacija yra labai efektyvus klausos protezavimo metodas, integruojant ir reabilituojant žymiai neprigirdinčius ir kurčius vaikus visuomenėje, tačiau tai palyginti nauja sritis ir mes neaptikom kitų mokslinių tyrimų, nagrinėjančių šią temą Lietuvoje. Klausa žmogui yra vienas iš pagrindinių komunikacijos būdų tarp aplinkinių ir pasaulio, kuriame jis gyvena. Statistikos duomenimis, per metus maždaug 35 vaikams nustatomas įgimtas kurtumas. Vienas iš būdų padėti klausos negalią turintiems asmenims reabilituotis ir integruotis į visuomenę - tai kochlearinės implantacijos. Pirmoji kochlearinė implantacija ne tik Lietuvoje, bet ir Baltijos šalyse atlikta 1999 metais. Šiuo metu Lietuvoje yra operuoti, 75 vaikai. Mūsų darbo naujumą sudaro tai, kad šis darbas vienas pirmųjų tokio pobūdžio darbų Lietuvoje. Darbo tikslas – išanalizuoti kochlearinio implanto reikšmę žymiai neprigirdinčių ir kurčių vaikų santykių su aplinka pokyčiams. Tyrimo tikslui įgyvendinti sprendžiami šie pagrindiniai uždaviniai: 1. Išsiaiškinti ar tiriami vaikai naudojosi individualiais klausos aparatais iki implantacijos. 2. Išanalizuoti ugdymo įstaigos pasirinkimą priklausomai nuo to, kada buvo atlikta implantacija, iki šešerių metų ir jau sulaukus šešerių metų amžiaus. 3. Ištirti vaikų santykių su aplinkiniais ir bendraamžiais pokyčius iki ir po kochlearinės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Though the Cochlear implantation is an extremely effective prosthetic appliance for the treatment of hard of hearing people, the analysis of the impact of Cochlear implant to the changes of considerably hard of hearing and deaf children relationship with environment required lots of efforts, because this kind of children integration to society is rather new in Lithuania and there is a lack of investigations. Hearing is among the main people communication means which they use for acquiring the world they live in. According to statistics, approximately 35 children are born per annum with the diagnosis of deafness. Thus, Cochlear implantation is one of the ways to help people with hearing disability to rehabilitate and integrate into society. In 1999 the first Cochlear implantation has been performed not only in Lithuania but also in Baltic states. Up till now 75 children have been operated. The novelty of our work is composed since it is one of the first works of this kind in Lithuania. The objective of this paper is to analyze the significance of Cochlear implant to the changes of considerably hard of hearing and deaf children relationship with environment. For the implementation of the objective, the paper has been solving the following exercises: 1. To discover whether the inquiring children have been using their individual hearing-aids till implantation. 2. To analyze the choice of educational institution without reference to the time the implantation has been... [to full text]