Hey everyone,
So I was wondering everyone's opinion on this subject. If a child is Deaf/Hard of Hearing and a Case Manager or Teacher of the DHH suggests accommodations such as notetakers or an FM System and the child doesn't really want to use those accommodations for personal reasons (whether it be they feel uncomfortable in class with it or what not). Do we as future educators press that upon them that this is the best option or do we search for other options?
I mean obviously accommodations are useless if they aren't going to be used and it isn't our job to make children feel uncomfortable.
I recently have came across this being Hard of Hearing and my Case Manager suggests things and accommodations that I necessarily don't like or am comfortable with.
What's your opinion?
I think this is a really interesting topic. I think that I don't neccessarily have ansewrs but this sparked some really great questions that I will ponder and hopefully some others can give some input as well. Where does one draw the line between what is best for the child? What say does the child have? How old is old enough for a child to have valid input on to the services they receive? What measures should be taken if the child continues to resist the accomodations? What role should academic teams play in this process?
ReplyDeleteI noticed this as well. I feel like we should ask the person first and foremost and do whatever is possible to provide comofort as well as efficency. This situation is similar to the situation regarding the form of sign language needed to be used in a classroom. Should we teach ASL, Pigeon Signed Enlish... ? Personally, I believe that it is all in the interest of the child.
ReplyDeleteI think in most cases the child knows best in what way he/she can learn or will learn. Not all cases I suppose because an educator may have experience and knowledge, statistics etc. But in general a child knows what helps he/she learn. If the child feels embaressed of something that is there to help them learn then the child may resent it and not use it to there advantage.
ReplyDeleteI think that, depending on the age, it should be left up to the child to decide what works best for them. I think you could research and find other ways. Maybe even ask the student, what they prefer. I don't think we should force what we think is best, on them, just because we think we know. They know what works best for them.
ReplyDeleteChelsea Eddins
I agree with Chels that it should up to the child if they are old enough to be able to make that decision. I think that the student should feel comfortable and agree that what we think is always best or right for students isn't right all the time. There are lots of other ways and techniques to use that can be explored.
ReplyDeleteI, also, think that those types of questions should be dependent on the age of the child. Also, I think that various accomodations should be explained to the child so they can have a variety of ways to choose from.
ReplyDeleteThe child should feel comfortable and, since education is of extreme importance, if the child, whether do to insecurities or poor accomodations, won't be learning well because of that chosen accomodation, it should not be forced. To me, it seems that people need to look at that particular situation - age of the child, learning preference, available accomodations, etc. So many things play a factor. But the child/student will know how the learn best and what they would prefer, and people should respect that. I don't think it's a question that can be answered by a general statement. The questions that Adrienne raises are extremely important as well.
-Kristi Hamm
I think you definitely search for other options. An IEP is designed to be individualized to the persons needs and preferences. And for whatever reason a student makes a choice it should be respected because it is their education and they are learning how they want to adapt to the hearing world. As educators I think we should inform students and parents of all the options they have but never pressure them to choose one over another.
ReplyDeleteJared-
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of those topics that there is no right answer for. I want to say that I would love to leave it up to the child to decide what is best for them, and say screw the IEP if it made the child uncomfortable, but I know I wouldn't. There are just some things that kids have to learn to live through and just do it. I don't think children are mindless and have to be lead by the hand to "learn what's best for them" but to an extent we have to teach them how to find out what works best. And also, if the accommodations don't interrupt the child's learning process, whether they actually help or not, I don't see anything wrong with trying them out. If the accommodations inhibit their learning process then I think that is a problem, but other than that, you never know what is going to help someone unless you give it a try. A little wasted time wouldn't undo every child. But that is just my opinion.
I don't think that anything should be forced upon an individual. If a DHH person does not want to use a certain assistive device, then alternatives should be provided. Not everyone learns in the same way; this same principle holds true in the case of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people too. However, in this case, the DHH should be made aware that they will still be held responsible for getting the material so they shouldn't just not use what is available to them and then be behind on the school material. You also have to look at IEP requirements. If not using certain techniques or devices is going to inhibit or go against certain requirements, the child may just have to learn to deal with it. Every person has methods of learning and communicating that they don't like, but sometimes you just have to do it that way because it is the most efficient.
ReplyDelete