Hearing-Impaired Learner with Special Needs: Summary

Chapter 30 ROBERT E. STEPP, JR. is at present the Project Director of the Media Development Project for the Hearing Impaired; Director of the Barkley Memorial Center; and Professor, Educational Administration, University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Previously, he was Director of the Specialized Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (1974-1977); Director of the Midwest Regional Media Center for the Deaf (1966-1974); Director of the University Bureau of Audiovisual Administration; and Assistant Director of the Extension Division, all of the above at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dr. Stepp has an A.B. from Central College (Missouri), a M.A. from the University of Iowa, and his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Dr. Stepp has been active in both state and national audiovisual organizations. As an author, speaker, consultant, and media specialist, Dr. Stepp's involvements in the education of the deaf are numerous. Hearing-Impaired Learner with Special Needs: SUMMARY Robert E. Stepp, Jr. The Fourteenth Symposium on Research and Utilization of Education Media for Teaching the Deaf was structured around three subtopics: 1. The hearing-impaired learner who is also gifted, 2. The hearing-impaired learner who is also developmentally disabled, and 3. The hearing-impaired learner who is also blind. These are three timely topics to explore and analyze in regard to the role of educational media and technology in special educational programs. The conference also emphasized the fact that many acousticaUy handicapped students have more than one exceptionality. The instructional goals for these learners become more difficult to achieve; the methods for teaching them become more complex; and the selec- â– tions of media become more critical. When the learner is deprived of one or more sensory inputs, the instructional education plan (IEP) reaches new significance as teachers, resource teachers, specialists, and parents work together to meet the established instructional objectives. The papers collected in this publication will be of benefit to all educators who deal with the handicapped. GIFTEDNESS During the last few years renewed attention has been given to identifying the gifted student . This is true also in programs for the deaf. Studies are now being conducted in many schools for the hearing impaired to locate and A.A.D. I September 1981 769 Summary evaluate the students' capabilities for accelerated and expanded instructional programs. An outstanding example is the TAG Project (Talented and Gifted) at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin. In discussing strategies for implementing IEPs for such students, Fleury, MacNeil, and Pflaum wrote: Media can serve the creative spirit of the gifted hearing impaired students. High verbal skills are not necessarily a criterion for creativity. Students derive satisfaction from producing their own media as it provides them with an avenue of expression to share their intellectual curiosity and excitement. Working with media gives them motivation to research and gather information, evaluate and organize it, and plan to present it in a way that is most meaningful to them. Preparing to share their interests through media is the kind of long-term goal and challenge on which gifted students thrive. Enjoyment of good literature, of the visual arts, of drama, can be intensified. Schmitt and Winters have described the satisfactions of a student-produced media presentation of a selection of poems: Poetry for bright deaf youngsters is important. Experiences in mediating poetry present opportunities for involvement in the creative process. This is an experience that is becoming increasingly more difficult to provide in this era of IEP behavioral objectives and minimal proficiency standards testing. Fleury, MacNeil, and Pflaum went on to say: Traditionally, media for the hearing impaired must be highly visual. For the gifted hearing impaired, it must also allow for a high degree of flexibility, assist with vocabulary development , encourage development of language, critical thinking, and evaluative skills. It should be highly interactive with the opportunity for gifted students to produce their own materials and hone their sophistication of technological media. The creative mind of the gifted hearing impaired cannot be overemphasized , and must not be underutilized. Among recent technological advancements, the computer offers new avenues of learning. It requires a level of interaction which is especially appropriate for the gifted hearingimpaired learner because...