Hearing Services
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board offers hearing services via a part time, qualified Deaf and Hard of Hearing Itinerant Teacher. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Itinerant Teacher works collaboratively with students and families who are deaf or hard of hearing at both the elementary and secondary level, as well as works system-wide to build educator capacity. Educator capacity is also supported through the Ministry of Education’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Services and Outreach Programs via workshops and training.
The Coordinators of Special Education also play an important role in supporting students with hearing differences by purchasing hearing equipment via the Special Education Amount (SEA) process. The Coordinators work with various vendors to equip students and classrooms with essential equipment such as RM systems, soundfield towers, pass-around mics, desk and chair accessories to soften the noise of movement, etc.
The primary goal of hearing services is to enhance and improve school life for the deaf and hard of hearing student population- this includes ensuring that the classroom setting is inclusive and fully supports the academic and social communication needs of all learners with hearing differences. Direct services are provided through regular classroom visits and may include:
- conducting environmental scans in the classroom;
- constructing and implementing effective classroom strategies;
- assisting with classroom amplification and assistive technology (e.g, RM systems, soundfield towers, etc.);
- programming and, where applicable, providing expert input for Individual Education Plans (IEPs);
- liaison with families to help ensure effective strategies are in place in both the school and home settings;
- provide assistance in applying to a Provincial School setting if a student’s main mode of communication is American Sign Language; the following four Provincial Schools in Ontario provide specialized education for students who are deaf or hard of hearing: W. Ross MacDonald School (Brantford), Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf (Milton), Robarts School for the Deaf (London) and Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf (Belleville).
