I am relatively new to the Kentucky area and would love to work with deaf children. I know there is a residential school for the deaf in Danville, and I also know that the chances of being hired as a teacher there is pretty slim unless someone retires. Does anyone happen to know of mainstream schools (teaching deaf children in a school also teaching hearing children)? I know there are openings for interpreters, but I have not heard of teachers concentrating solely on deaf children and signing. I hope everyone has a great week.
posted by Unknown @ 9:44 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I don't know of any specifically, but I know a lot of public and private schools hire translators for students with communication difficulties. I think that would be a pretty ideal job, I'm planning to work with deaf children too and had this same question. You don't have to be just limited to deaf children, at my old school there was a child with down syndrome. She was extremely smart but had oral communication difficulties, so a staff member stayed with her through most of the day and taught her to sign as she was in school. Keep in mind she was very young at the time. I think doing something like that would be neat and something different. That was a really small school though so I am not sure how that works in a larger school setting.
Ashley, there are many of the area school districts who do hire teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This summer I forwarded two openings of which I was aware on to Debbie Hayden and Karen Dilka here at EKU to share with graduates and former graduates. You may need to move closer to a particular area. However, having recently moved to the state another smaller move may or may not be a big deal for you.
I taught in such a program within the Fayette County public school system in Lexington. At that time there were approximately 8 teachers employed by the system as well as interpreters.
Additionally KSD hires Outreach Consultants who work with schools and districts who may not have full time teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. KSD is a part of the Kentucky Department of Education (for whom I work). I know that right now we are advertising on our website a position like this (for someone who holds a degree). The position posted reads:
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), Office of Next Generation Learners, Division of Learning Services, Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD has an opening for an Outreach Teacher Consultant. This position will serve the Wilderness Trace and Upper Cumberland Cooperatives known as the Southeast/South Central Educational Cooperative (SESC) and will physically be located in Somerset, Kentucky.
Thank you so much for the great information :) I love working with special needs children, but my passion is working with deaf/hard of hearing children. I would love to complete my graduate degree at Gallaudet University (they have a great program for teachers, but it is pricey).
I found this wedsite, I enjoyed reading this and thought you might as well.
http://deafness.about.com/od/schoolsforthedeaf/a/kentuckyschools.htm
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