Deaf / Hard of Hearing Program

The Eisenhower Cooperative provides a variety of services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Instructional Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program utilizes a total communication philosophy. Our goal is to develop expressive and receptive language skills and offer the opportunity for students to imitate, create, and expand their language base and usage. To achieve this goal, our program incorporates a variety of communication modes adapted for individual needs. These modes of communication include speech, listening, speechreading, sign language (conceptually accurate signed English) fingerspelling, facial expressions, gestures, and the use of assistive devices and technology including state of the art FM systems.

Total communication is implemented throughout the curriculum and various educational environments. The instructional program has established an academic environment that fosters a deaf-linguistic perspective. It implements and adapts multiple curriculums to meet students’ programming needs and is compatible with state and local district goals and objectives. See the Sound/Visual Phonics is used to help the students with phonetic and reading skills.

Mainstreaming a student is a team decision based on the individual student’s emotional, social, educational, communicative, and cognitive needs and ability levels. We recognize the significance of developing various social and emotional skills in students. Topics addressed through group and individual instruction include social skills, deaf culture, self-concept development, and acceptance of self and others. We develop students’ coping skills to help build relationships within the self-contained and mainstream settings.

Student Records

School student records are confidential and information from them shall not be released other than as provided by law. The information contained in school student records shall be kept current, accurate, clear and relevant. All information maintained concerning a student receiving special education services should be directly related to the provision of services to that child. State and federal laws grant students and parent(s)/guardian(s) certain rights, including the right to inspect, copy, and challenge school records. Pursuant to the Illinois Schools Records Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, parent(s)/guardian(s) have the right to review and copy their child’s school student records prior to any special education eligibility or IEP meeting.

In addition, the District maintains related service log records that document the type of related services administered under a student’s individualized education program (IEP). The related service logs also record the minutes of related services that have been administered. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may request and review IEP related service log records maintained for their child at any time. All requests for student records and/or related service logs will be directed to the student’s home school district.

Request for Interpretation Services for IEP Meetings

Interpretation services are available at IEP team meetings for parents/guardians whose native language is not English or for parents/guardians who are deaf. If a qualified interpreter is not available, the school may use outside vendors, including telephonic interpreters.

A parent/guardian requiring interpretation services at an IEP meeting may contact their student’s program supervisor, via in writing, by phone or email one time annually to request an interpreter at IEP meetings.

A parent or guardian has the right to request that the interpreter serve no other role in the IEP meeting other than interpreter, and the school should make reasonable efforts to fulfill this request. A parent/guardian may contact the program supervisor with any questions or complaints about interpretation services.