What Is Different About Deaf Education? The Effects of Child and Family Factors on Educational Services

Abstract

Deaf education is characterized by several distinctive aspects, beginning with qualities unique to deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and their families. Consisting of approximately 1.2% of the special education K-12 population, educational and disability systems often struggle to meet the unique challenges that these children and their families present. The result is that services and practices may be atypical and unlike those found to be successful with other populations. Despite new technological and personnel accommodations, far greater numbers placed in general education classrooms, and access to the general education curriculum, these children remain unable to perform commensurate with their abilities or at levels equivalent to their peers either with or without disabilities. Achievement has improved little over four decades, further attesting to the complexity of successfully mitigating the effects of early childhood hearing loss and that educating DHH children is different.