Merging Silos: Can Speech-Language Clinicians in Schools for the Deaf Inform Public School Practice?

• In Event: 25.074 - Deaf and Hard of Hearing Research Paper Session

Abstract

Trends indicate that severely-to-profoundly deaf students increasingly enter mainstream education environments where, according to research, speech-language clinicians (SLCs) may not have the expertise to meet their needs. This study utilized the phenomenological method of inquiry to explore the experiences and perspectives of fourteen SLCs who have worked with deaf students in three different types of deaf education settings. Verbal data, collected through interviews and case study responses, was transcribed, coded, and emergent themes identified. Results indicate that regular education environments can benefit from the wisdom of SLCs more experienced with deaf students and should consider their experiences in order to effectively and ethically absorb this population.

Author

• Michelle Veyvoda, Iona College