Tips for your teachers for HOH/Deaf Children

• Give deaf/hoh child seat in front or near front. This one is just common sense because the deaf/hoh student needs to be able to see the teacher and blackboard (or whiteboard) clearly.
• Be careful about turning your back, because then the deaf/hoh child can not read your lips. Face a deaf/hoh student when talking to them directly.
• Talk directly to the child, not to the interpreter . It is important to do this so that the child feels like he/she is part of the class.
• To reduce the risk of a deaf/hoh child being bullied, encourage the child or child's parents to explain deafness/hearing loss to the class.
• Always write tests, quizzes, and homework assignments on the board.
• If you have a mustache and the deaf/hoh child reads lips, consider shaving it off or reducing it to a small enough size that does not hinder lipreading.
• If the class is watching a film, either make sure the film is captioned or provide the child with a copy of the script.
• Do not treat a deaf/hoh child any differently from the hearing children. That means no special treatment.
• Request the assistance of an itinerant teachers or resource teacher. They may have more suggestions and be able to provide assistance.
• If a website used in the classroom has only audio, make notes for the deaf/hoh student (suggested by a deaf college student).
• Provide an older deaf/hoh student with note takers, either peer or professional.
• Be aware of the importance of classroom acoustics, as it has an impact on how much the deaf/hoh student is able to hear.