Using Self-Directed IEPs to Develop Self-Determination Skills for DHH Students With Disabilities

Abstract

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students typically have fewer opportunities to acquire self-determination skills. Yet these skills are critical to successfully achieving desired adult outcomes and identifying the accommodations needed to assume adult roles. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) requires that transition-age students with disabilities attend their annual individualized education program (IEP) meetings to support development of these skills. This chapter presents two programs for teaching DHH students strategies for becoming actively engaged in their own IEP meetings. Their clearly delineated instructional sequences provide foundational skills for acquiring and implementing various components of self-determination. Using both programs together further expand students' opportunities to develop the self-determination skills they will need to be active and successful adults, including understanding and addressing the impacts of their disability on their future activities.