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This in-service training package is designed to assist disability services staff, faculty, and staff members of postsecondary institutions in serving students with hearing impairments. It explains hearing loss and its effects on a student's education, demonstrates assistive technologies, and offers communication strategies. The package includes: (1) presenter's notes, which contain in the text representations of an accompanying packet of overhead transparencies; (2) a Microsoft PowerPoint program for use on a personal computer; (3) an audiocassette, "Sound Hearing or...Hearing What You Miss," which is accompanied by an annotated guide; (4) questions for a student panel; (5) a list of centers that loan assistive listening devices for demonstrations; and (5) a list of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH) chapters. Materials are also provided for participants, including participants' handouts with spaces for an individual's personal notes as each slide is presented, a copy of an answer sheet to be used with spelling test sensitivity training, a brochure about cochlear implants, and teacher tip sheets. The following articles written by SHHH are included: "The Hearing Aid Myth,""Unreasonable...But Not Unusual,""Meeting the Needs of Hard-of-Hearing Students,""Responsive Teachers Make a Difference!,""Communication Access in the Classroom," and "Communication Access on Campus for Students Who Are Hard of Hearing." (CR)

This volume is the fourth in a series (developed in response to a needs assessment survey of special educators in Alberta, Canada) providing practical suggestions about instructional strategies, classroom management, preparing individual program plans, and understanding special needs. This volume presents information on the nature of hearing loss and the various communication systems which may be used by individuals with hearing impairments. The book also contains information on amplification, educational technologies, program planning, and teaching strategies. Sections of the book cover: (1) measurement of hearing and hearing loss with sample audiograms; (2) gathering student information; (3) implications of hearing loss including education and social implications, communication modalities, and the deaf culture; (4) technology, various forms of amplification, other educational devices, classroom acoustics, and care of hearing aids and/or FM systems; (5) providing for student needs through communication training and language intervention; (6) strategies for classroom accommodation, using an interpreter, and modifying instructional practices. An appendix provides survey forms, assessment forms, check lists, and sign language illustrations. A glossary, a list of teaching resources, and publishers' addresses conclude the volume. (Contains 23 references.) (DB)

This resource guide for classroom teachers provides an overview of the needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Topics include: (1) range of hearing loss, educational implications, and sample audiograms; (2) preparing to teach students who are hard of hearing or deaf; (3) needs of learners who are hard of hearing or deaf; (4) sample questions to ask parents or guardians during the first interview; (5) sample questions to ask teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing; (6) sample questions for the first educational team meeting; (7) student interviews and sample questions for the interviews; (8) tips for classroom adaptation; (9) tips for communicating with a student with hearing impairments in one-to-one situations, in groups, and through an interpreter; (10) equipment needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing; (11) solutions to problems encountered with personal hearing aids and FM systems; and (12) teacher tips for dealing with hearing aids and FM systems. A glossary of relevant selected vocabulary is provided. Forms for notetaking are included throughout the guide. Student tip sheets provide: a sample assignment guide, a sample reflective guide for self-assessment, and a sample summary guide for group activities. (CR)

This document supplements a series of training modules that provides a basic introduction to using assistive technology with young children (ages 2 to 7) who have severe disabilities in more than one area of development. The supplement contains suggestions about hearing technologies and listening strategies that improve a child's opportunities to learn from his or her environments. It discusses the types of listening and hearing difficulties occurring among young children with severe disabilities. Hearing technologies, including hearing aids, personal frequency modulation (FM), sound-field FM, and mild-gain hard-wired systems, are described, along with practical suggestions for their use in a child's learning environment. Appendixes provide an assistive technology resource list, an outline of types of hearing loss, national resources for information on assistive listening devices, information on audiological assessment, and a list of 25 additional readings. A videotape, entitled "Assistive Technology: We Can Do It!," was developed to accompany this module and related modules. (Contains approximately 35 references.) (JDD)

This CD-ROM disk contains a curriculum on vector communication for students with moderate and severe multiple disabilities. Section 1 discusses pragmatic communication, functional analysis of behavior, augmentative and alternative communication, including gestures and signs, use of pictures and pictographs, and low, medium, and high tech communication devices. Milieu methods for teaching communication such as modeling, mand-model, time-delay and incidental approaches are also discussed. Methods for teaching initiating, maintaining, and terminating conversations are described. There is a discussion of communication and hearing impairments describing development of speech sounds, use of hearing aids, and the Six Sound Hearing Test. Special considerations regarding communication of learners who are deafblind are also reviewed. The final part describes communication technology and computers, adaptations to improve computer access and use, and Microsoft Windows and Apple resources for people with disabilities. Section 2 provides an extensive list of task-analyzed learning indicators in various areas of communication performance. These behaviorally defined indicators provide explicit statements of learning outcomes that are designed to be useful in developing Individualized Education Programs. The curriculum may be opened on Microsoft Windows or Mac OS platforms using Adobe Acrobat Readers. Two versions of Acrobat Reader are stored on the disk. (CR)

Intended as a guide for the design and implementation of parent-infant programs for the hearing impaired, the volume provides suggestions and sample materials from the program in Prince George's County, Maryland. Included in the guidelines for assessment of local need and identification of hearing impaired infants in the community are sample letters, news releases, and questionnaires. Important considerations for physical facilities are listed, and a facility analysis and a suggested floor plan are provided. Suggestions for the selection of personnel and in-service training are given. The sections on information gathering and diagnostic processing include sample letters, forms, and data recording sheets. Suggestions for audiological management provide information on counseling and hearing aid maintenance with sample forms and worksheets. Lists from which to select appropriate children's books, toys, and other learning materials are provided. Suggested activities for parent-child sessions include an outline for home demonstration, home activity assigments for parents (with sample activity sheets), and worksheets for parents and counselors. Sample formats are provided for discussion sessions and workshops for parents including evaluation forms for parents and staff personnel. A bibliography of approximately 70 selected readings is appended. (IM)

This paper reports the results of a Consensus Development Conference on Cochlear Implants sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to improve the hearing of children and adults with hearing impairments. The following questions are addressed: (1) Who is a suitable candidate for a cochlear implant? (2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of cochlear implants? (3) How effective are cochlear implants? (4) What are the risks and limitations of cochlear implantation? (5) What are the special considerations for children? and (6) What are the important directions for future research? The paper points out the importance of considering audiological, electrophysiological, medical surgical, psychophysical, psychological, and linguistic criteria in selecting suitable candidates. It outlines features of intracochlear, extracochlear, single channel, multichannel, feature-extraction, and non-feature-specific systems. The difficulty in predicting the outcome for a particular person is emphasized, but general expectations are suggested. Risks involved in cochlear implantation include medical complications, interference with residual hearing cues from the other ear, and possible corrosion of platinum electrodes. Limitations, such as refraining from contact sports, are also noted. Discussion of special considerations for children focuses on criteria for success, the minimum trial period, long-term prosthesis-tissue interactions, and other factors. Members of the consensus development panel are listed. (JDD)

A guide to the instruction of students with disabilities is presented to enhance learning in a college or university setting. Various adjustments that can be made in the environment or in teaching style are suggested. The following categories of disabled students are addressed: blind students, partially sighted students, deaf or hearing-impaired students, students who use wheelchairs, learning disabled students, speech impaired students, students who have had an ostomy, students with spina bifida, students with multiple sclerosis, and students with muscular dystrophy. Specific topics include: the use of readers, brailled books, audio tape recorded books, and recent aids by blind students; test administration to blind students; the use of large print books, a closed-circuit TV magnifier, and large print typewriter for partially sighted students; the use of sign language, fingerspelling, hearing aids; self-carbon notetaking pads, interpreters, and captioned films by the hearing impaired or deaf; barriers to the student in a wheelchair and the need for a curb cut or ramp; information processing difficulties of the learning disabled student; and types of speech impairments and aids for persons who cannot speak at all. Hints for teachers to facilitate the participation of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in (and out of) the classroom and generalizations about the classroom needs of students who use wheelchairs are presented. A glossary of equipment and other terms, a chart of the American Manual Alphabet and the Braille Alphabet, and a list of resources for postsecondary educators are among the appendices. (SW)

A fact sheet is presented for hearing impaired students and those who work with them in schools and colleges. Attention is directed to: definitions of relevant terms; postsecondary education options for students; suggestions for students, faculty, and services providers; and reading and resource materials. It is suggested that hearing loss is a complex disability. Hearing impaired describes people with all types of hearing disabilities, ranging from a very slight loss to profound deafness. Those who have a defect in their hearing but are functional for ordinary life purposes, usually with the help of a hearing aid, are referred to as "hard of hearing," while deafness is a condition in which perceivable sounds have no meaning for ordinary life purposes, even with the help of a hearing aid. Age of onset of hearing loss refers to the time at which the hearing loss occurred, which often determines the type of support services the individual student will need in order to succeed. Attention is directed to persons who are pre-lingually deafened, post-lingually deafened, and pre-vocationally deafened. Communication methods include the oral approach, the manual approach, and total communication. Postsecondary education options are as follows: federally-supported Gallaudet College in Washington, DC; and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY; a separate program for hearing impaired students on the campus of a hearing college; or a mainstreamed program in a setting with mostly hearing students. Special support services include: interpreter services, notetaker/tutor, remedial programs, and aids and devices. The faculty and administration are responsible for making postsecondary programs accessible to hearing impaired students. (SW)

The manual describes the SKI*HI Model, a comprehensive approach to identification and home intervention treatment of hearing impaired children and their families. The model features home programing in four basic areas: the home hearing aid program (nine lessons which facilitate the proper fit and acceptance of amplification by the child), home communication program (ways to help parents develop essential communication skills and select an optimum language method), home auditory program (ways to promote use of residual hearing), and home language stimulation program. Information for parent advisors address the first home visits, psycho-emotional support for families, and home visit planning, delivery, and reporting. Home visit programs are examined in terms of lesson plans and sample activities for the subject areas of: hearing aids, home communication, home auditory programs, and home language stimulation programs (aural-oral and total communication). (CL)

Part of a series of booklets for parents of deaf-blind children prepared by Project STEPS (Steps Toward Effective Production of Speech), this booklet contains a list of words and their meanings and is designed to promote understanding about hearing and vision loss. The roles of professionals working with deaf blind children are explained. The range of programs and services for this population--from early intervention through sheltered workshops--is briefly considered. Medical treatments, such as irrigation of the ear and cataract surgery, are noted. Information is offered on hearing aids and vision aids. A section on training and teaching covers Public Law 94-142 (the Education For All Handicapped Children Act), approaches to changing behavior, sense training, communication, and special sources of help, such as occupational and physical therapy, mobility training and orientation. A glossary presents approximately 150 definitions of frequently used terms. Throughout the text, terms for which definitions are provided are indicated by boldface or italic print. (CL)

Project CHIME (Children with Hearing Impairments in Mainstreamed Environments) was created to develop and implement strategies that promote effective mainstreaming of preschool hearing-impaired children, aged 2-5. This guide reviews issues that should be addressed before beginning a mainstreamed program, such as: funding; advance planning; staffing; philosophy; informing parents; establishing eligibility criteria; selecting a site; training staff and parents; scheduling the mainstreaming experience; and determining what services will be provided, such as an auditory trainer, speech therapist, psychologist, etc. Materials appended to the guidebook include a trouble shooting checklist on caring for hearing aids, a preschool classroom observation form, a worksheet for evaluating hearing-impaired preschool interaction, and a parent survey. (JDD)

Project CHIME (Children with Hearing Impairments in Mainstreamed Environments) develops and implements strategies that promote effective preschool mainstreaming of selected hearing-impaired children, ages 2-5 in Nassau County, New York. Written for parents of preschool children with hearing impairments, this handbook contains background information on mainstreaming, hearing loss, and the Project CHIME program. Project CHIME emphasizes an auditory/oral approach to teaching communication, and encourages children to use residual hearing, hearing aids, and auditory trainers to develop their hearing and oral speech. Project CHIME also emphasizes the importance of mainstreaming in the preschool environment to allow children with hearing loss to develop relationships with their hearing peers. The handbook covers such topics as parent involvement and training, role of CHIME staff, types of hearing loss, and use of hearing aids and auditory trainers. (JDD)