Parent perceptions of itinerant services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing

ABSTRACT

The itinerant teaching model is the most common service delivery method for students who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in the United States. Itinerant teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing (ITODHHs) may serve several school buildings and travel extensive distances. Substantial literature exists regarding ITODHHs; however, a notable gap exists regarding parent perceptions of itinerant teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing (ITODHH) services for their children in the US. Modelled after work completed in Australia, the current study examined parent perceptions of ITODHH services for their children who were DHH. Results indicated that most parents were mostly satisfied with the ITODHH services and offered specific suggestions for improvement. Implications of these results for service delivery and attending to family-school partnerships are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Deaf education
• itinerant
• survey
• parents
• perceptions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Holly F. Pedersen

Dr. Holly F. Pedersen is an Associate Professor at Minot State University in North Dakota. She currently serves as Chairperson for the Department of Special Education. Pedersen earned undergraduate degrees in elementary education and deaf education, and a Master’s degree in special education. Pedersen holds a Doctorate of Education in educational leadership. Pedersen has over 25 years of experience working with children and youth with disabilities. Dr. Pedersen’s research interests include early intervention in deaf education, interprofessional education practices, best practices in special education, rural education issues, and student engagement in higher education.

Brent A. Askvig

Dr. Brent A. Askvig is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Special Education at Minot State University in North Dakota. He has experience as a special education teacher in the public schools, as an early interventionist in a rural infant toddler program, and a direct support staff member for adults with intellectual disabilities. His areas of specialization include research design and statistics, educational supports for persons with significant support needs, deaf/blind educational services, preparation of personnel in special education, history of services for people with intellectual disabilities, and international aspects of human services for people with disabilities.

Dionne Spooner

Dr. Dionne Spooner holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work. Dr. Spooner’s doctoral degree is in Human Services with a Clinical Social Work specialization. She has been a licensed social worker for over 20 years and is a lifetime member of the National Association of Social Workers. She spent the first 15 years of her career working in direct practice with an emphasis on child welfare and domestic violence. She currently serves as core faculty in the Barbara Solomon School of Social Work at Walden University.

Mallory Halvorson

Mallory Halvorson completed her Master’s degree in Special Education at Minot State University. The focus of her graduate research thesis was parental perceptions of services for their children with hearing loss. Halvorson has experience in both public and alternative school settings serving students with disabilities and other support needs.