Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

The Changing Role of the Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf: A Snapshot of Current Teacher Perceptions

  • Holly F. Pedersen, Ed.D. (Author) Minot State University image/svg+xml
    Holly F. Pedersen, Ed. D., is an Associate Professor at Minot State University in North Dakota, USA. She currently serves as Chairperson for the Department of Special Education. Pedersen has over 25 years of experience working with children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.
  • Karen L. Anderson, Ph.D. (Author) Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss
    Karen L. Anderson, Ph.D., is a past president of the Educational Audiology Association and is the author or co-author of the Screening Instrument For Targeting Educational Risk (SIFTER) teacher checklists, the Early Listening Function (ELF) for infants and toddlers, the Listening Instrument For Education (LIFE &LIFE-R), the Children’s Home Inventory of Listening Difficulties (CHILD), and the guidance document Relationship of Hearing Loss to Listening and Learning Needs. Dr. Anderson served as an educational audiologist in rural and urban settings in Minnesota and Washington for over 15 years. She spent 8 years at the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Early Steps as the Audiology Consultant for Early Hearing Loss Detection and Intervention and the Early Steps Coordinator of Hearing Services including developing the Serving Hearing Impaired Newborns Effectively, or SHINE, component of Early Steps. She has a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology from the American Speech Language Hearing Association, is Board Certified in Audiology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. Anderson is currently Director of Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.406
Abstract
The past two decades have seen unprecedented changes to the field of deaf education. Several factors including technological advances and educational policy have resulted in the inclusion of the majority of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in the general education classroom with various levels of support services. Consequently, the role of the professional educator of the deaf has changed to the itinerant teaching model as the primary service delivery system in deaf education in the nation today. Because this role for teachers of the deaf is evolving, ongoing research is necessary to identify emerging trends, successes, and potential barriers to ensure effective service provision to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. This study sought to obtain a current picture of the roles and responsibilities of the itinerant teacher of the deaf (ITOD) via an electronic survey conducted through postings on a well-known professional website. Participants were 267 itinerant teachers of the deaf. Survey results support previous findings that lack of awareness of the needs of this population of students and lack of time due to increasing caseloads are barriers to service provision. Teachers reported being better prepared for the itinerant role in their preservice program than in past studies, and the use of mentorship appears to be an emerging teacher support strategy. Results supported the adequacy of the itinerant model in supporting students who are above, at, or within 6 months of grade level expectations, with increasing concerns about the ability to provide adequate levels of support to students in inclusive settings with greater educational delays via the itinerant model. Implications for these findings for the field as well as potential questions for future research on this topic are discussed.
Keywords
Barriers, Deafness, Faculty Workload, Hearing Impairments, Inclusion, Individualized Education Programs
References

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There are 19 references in total.
How to Cite
Pedersen, H. F., & Anderson, K. L. (2019). The Changing Role of the Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf: A Snapshot of Current Teacher Perceptions. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 14(3), 63-80. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.406

Fall 2019

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted August 21, 2019
  • Published October 15, 2019
  • Issue Fall 2019
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