 The staff of the Willie
Ross School for the Deaf is dedicated to maximizing the potential
of all students. The importance of spoken language and listening
skills is emphasized for our students with cochlear implants.
Within this environment, the child is immersed in the best of both the
deaf and hearing worlds. Because total communication at Willie
Ross (sign language delivered in English word order simultaneously
combined with speech) is used throughout the school, the child has
access to language and academics through both eyes and ears. When
the Team decides that a student is ready, he or she may attend the
Partnership Campus located within the East Longmeadow Public Schools,
where our students have teachers of the deaf, deaf and hard-of-hearing
peers, and opportunities for mainstreaming into public school classes
with age-appropriate hearing peers, as well as informal inclusionary
activities.
Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) are developed by the
Cochlear Implant Information Team to meet the specific needs of each
child. The Team is composed of a teacher of the deaf, a
speech-language pathologist, an audiologist, a counselor and, most
importantly, the student’s family. A student with a cochlear
implant has very specific speech/language and audiological needs that
are reflected in the IEP goals. Information regarding individual
and small group speech/language therapy and auditory training is
included in the IEP.
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The therapy and training are an
integral part of the student’s school
day at WRSD. Skills learned in therapy are carried over into the
classroom and  modeled by the staff. The goals and
objectives of the
IEP are monitored throughout the school year, and progress toward the
goals is regularly communicated to the parents.
The WRSD Team is committed to supporting both the
student and his or
her family to ensure the success of every child with a cochlear
implant. We make every effort to maintain contact with the family
on a
daily basis through a communication notebook, phone contact, home
visits, progress reports, and parent/teacher conferences.
Collaboration with the Cochlear Implant Center is essential to ensure
consistent services for the student.
The WRSD staff is knowledgeable, experienced, and
committed to the successof each child.Our classroom environments are
well-equipped to meet the needs of our students who have cochlear
implants. We offer expertise, guidance, support, and information
to ensure that each student has a positive and successful educational
experience at Willie Ross School for the Deaf.
Students who are admitted with cochlear implants receive appropriate
audiological and rehabilitative speech/language therapy and
services. Families of students who wish to consider implants post
admission should consult with a physician. The Team will offer
some suggestions for each student.
At the Partnership Campus in East Longmeadow, all students have the
opportunity for academic mainstreaming. While all students who
are
mainstreamed have the services of a sign language interpreter for the
inclusion classes, it is possible that an individual student with a
cochlear implant may have the ability and opportunity to attend
mainstreamed classes without an interpreter. These decisions are
made by the Team on an individual basis.
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