Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

 

Job Description

 

Reports To: Director of Exceptional Children

 

Supervises:  May coordinate and direct the activities of Sign Language Interpreters/Transliterators 

 

Purpose: Provide specialized instruction and/or services for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH). The Teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides a continuum of services throughout the district to enable independence and success in school and to ensure that educational needs of the students who are deaf and hard of hearing are met. 

 

Duties and Responsibilities 

 

1. Major Function: Management of Instructional Time

 

The teacher of Deaf and Hard of Hearing will service students through an itinerant model and be required to drive to several schools throughout the county. The teacher will have materials, supplies, and equipment for each lesson ready at the start of the lesson or instructional activity; gets students on task quickly at the beginning of each lesson; and maintains a high level of student time-on-task.

 

1. Major Function: Instructional Presentation 

 

-Provide direct specialized instruction and/or support to DHH students in the development and maintenance of skills specified in the student’s IEP.

-Obtain specialized services, materials or equipment for DHH students to use in the general education classroom and provide specialized resources and visual aids.

-Adapt curriculum to make subject matter accessible to DHH students.

 

1. Major Function: Instructional Monitoring of Student Performance 

 

-Initial and on-going assessments designed for DHH students. 

-Develop appropriate IEP goals related to skill deficits which have occurred as a result of the student’s hearing loss.

 

1. Major Function: Facilitating Instruction

 

-Support communication and language development through spoken language and/or sign language.

-Provide specialized instruction related directly to the areas identified by present levels of academic and functional performance to include self-advocacy skills.

 

1. Major Function: Interacting Within the Educational Environment 

 

-Create positive attitudes towards individuals with hearing loss within the school community.

-Work in collaboration with students, staff and families as well IEP team including outside agencies.

-Ensure the inclusion of all DHH students in activities.

-Evaluate and recommend appropriate environmental conditions, such as lighting and acoustics, to meet the unique communication needs of DHH students.

 

1. Major Function: Performing Non-Instructional Duties

 

-Monitor individual hearing aids, cochlear implants, and assistive listening devices with consultation with our county audiologist.

-Provide in-service training for Special Education teachers, general education staff and students regarding the specific communication and educational needs of deaf and hard of hearing students and ways to include DHH students in various situations and group settings.

Additional Job Functions

 

Minimum Training and Experience

 

Minimum Qualifications or Standards Required to Perform Essential Job Functions 

 

Physical Requirements: Must be able to use a variety of equipment and classroom tools such as computers, copiers, typewriters, calculators, pencils, scissors, and equipment for children with special needs, etc. Must be able to exert a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Due to amount of time spent standing and/or walking, physical requirements are consistent with those for Light Work.

 

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

 

Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from superiors.

 

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, handbooks, forms, lists, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, simple reports, forms, instructional materials, etc., using prescribed format.

 

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

 

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal and counseling terminology.

 

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.