SASED Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program Overview
The SASED Deaf/Hard of Hearing program serves students with identified hearing losses from the 93 member school districts of DuPage/West Cook. This program is located in several schools throughout DuPage County and serves the educational needs of preschool through junior high school aged students.
Using a Total Communication philosophy, traditional and modified academic content is taught with an emphasis on language development. A wide variety of communication methods are utilized. Oral communication or speech, written communication and manual communication through the use of conceptually accurate signed English are all used to assist students as they fill in the language and vocabulary gaps caused by their hearing impairment.
Academic instruction is tailored to the individual learning styles and needs of the students. Whether in a general education classroom with an interpreter or in a self-contained classroom or even in the community, the goal for all students is to achieve the greatest level of independence possible as adults. Support services such as speech/language therapy or counseling are also provided to guide students in their communication and social/emotional development. SASED supports an integrated therapy model as the primary approach to providing these services. Pull-out therapy is also available to target specific skill development in articulation, listening skills and speech reading. Individual or group counseling sessions can also be set up to address particular student issues.
In all of SASED's Deaf/Hard of Hearing classes, students and parents are encouraged to become part of the total school experience. PE, Art, and Music, for example, enrich the students' academic development while participation in extra-curricular activities encourages the students to grow in other ways. Parents are welcome to join local parent-teacher organizations and to participate in all parent-related activities.
For additional information about the SASED Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program, please contact Shelley Rowland, Program Coordinator at 630-468-8251 or by e-mail at srowland@sased.org
