Intermediate District 917 Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing serve students ages birth to 21 in home-based, early childhood, general education, special education and transition settings throughout many 917-member Dakota County school districts.  Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing work as part of a team and are responsible for conducting assessments to establish eligibility for deaf/hard of hearing services and to identify programming needs for students with a hearing loss. The Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing serves as a resource to all team members including parents, instructional and support staff, and students to provide unique information on the impact of a hearing loss on language, communication, academic and functional skill development.  Related and support services such as audiology, interpreting/transliterating, transcribing, tutoring, and note-taking are also available to students as determined by IEP teams.  Teachers work closely with an Educational Audiologist, and FM amplification equipment is provided according to student need.  If a deaf or hard of hearing student needs alternative, or more intensive, services than can be provided in an itinerant model, a resource program is available at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels.

Services Provided:

A Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing typically provides direct instructional support in areas directly impacted by a hearing loss:  auditory, communication, language, vocabulary, reading readiness skill development, and compensatory skill development in the learning environment.  Indirect services include providing in-service and consultation to teachers, interpreters/transliterators/transcribers, parents and other staff; ensuring adequate and appropriate access to classroom information,  including access to captioned media; supporting the maintenance of amplification equipment; advising on environmental adaptations; monitoring students’ functioning in the school setting; supporting parents in communication system decisions and development; and, assisting students and families  with community resources related to hearing loss.