About Deaf Education
Deaf education is designed specifically to meet the educational, linguistic, cultural, social and cognitive needs of the individual student. Deaf and hard of hearing children have the right to a quality education, with the same content and to the same academic level as hearing children.
Deaf Education is a broad and diverse professional field that centers on the education of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.Teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing become experts in language acquisition and the unique learning and communication needs of their students.
New York State recognizes Deaf education as a separate certification. Teachers of the Deaf are required to earn 24 credit hours in classes specific to deaf education at an accredited institution. Many Teachers of the Deaf are also certified in other areas including special education, elementary education, high school subjects, art and speech. Teacher training programs generally train teachers to teach a variety of deaf students with different needs and communication modes.
Did you know?
There are more than 22 million deaf or hearing-impaired persons in the U.S – six million of which are profoundly Deaf.
Deaf or hard-of-hearing people who use sign language much prefer the term ‘Deaf’. The word ‘hearing-impaired’ implies there is something impaired or broken, and Deaf people are not ‘broken’ – they simply use a different means of communication.
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, was originally an instructor for deaf children and invented the telephone to help his deaf wife and mother to hear.