The Power of Self Advocacy

I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.

               - Maya Angelou

Growing up I was taught that I needed to speak up for myself and that if I wanted something I should go after it.  I was always encouraged to speak my mind, to advocate for what I thought was right for myself and for others.  As an adult, I seem to spend the bulk of my waking hours going to bat for my own children or my students.

As educators we know the importance of students advocating for their needs.  We want the student who came to school without their glasses because they broke to ask to sit closer to the board.  We want the student who didn't hear the directions clearly to ask for them to be repeated.  We want the student with a peanut allergy who was mistakenly given trail mix at lunch to return it and ask for an alternative.

According to an information sheet by the Pacer Center, "How You Can Help Your Child Learn to Be a Good Self Advocate", self advocacy means:

taking the responsibility for communicating one’s needs and desires in a

straightforward manner to others. It is a set of skills that includes:

• Speaking up for yourself

• Communicating your strengths, needs and wishes

• Being able to listen to the opinions of others, even when their opinions differ from yours

• Having a sense of self-respect

• Taking responsibility for yourself

• Knowing your rights

• Knowing where to get help or who to go to with a question

For the years that I taught in my own classroom, I instilled these same values of self-advocacy in my students.  For example, when a student wanted to stay after school for a club, he had to ask for an interpreter to be there with him.  When I signed something to the class, but the student was looking the other way, she had to ask for me to repeat it.  When a student decided that she only wanted to talk that day, those students who could not hear had to ask me to interpret it into sign language.  When I forgot to turn on the FM microphone, instead of the student accepting that he couldn't hear me, he had developed the self advocacy skills to speak up and ask me to turn it on.  We would practice these through discussions, role play, and any teachable moment that arose when a student brought up an issue that needed to be solved. 

Since being an itinerant teacher, though, I find that because I am not with my students all day every day, I must directly teach them how to speak up for themselves.  It is imperative that they understand their strengths, needs, and rights in order to be successful in school.   I now include self advocacy goals on IEPs.  Here are a few examples with included objective examples.  The first example is for a younger elementary aged student and the second example for a high school student.

Given information presented orally, student will effectively use her self-advocacy skills to participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults.

• When information is presented orally, student will locate the source of the information and face the speaker.
• When information is presented orally, student will recognize when she missed the information and ask the speaker for repetition or clarification.

Student will use his self advocacy skills to determine his needs for accommodations and modifications on test, assignments, homework, and before and after school events will require him to need the assistance of the teacher, interpreter, and/or paraprofessional aide.

• Student will identify and explain the appropriate supports and services he requires in different settings.
• Student will summarize the aspects of certain laws (IDEA, ADA, Rehabilitation Act of 1973) that are applicable to his specific needs as a deaf person.
• When presented with a before or after school activity, student will determine if he requires a sign language interpreter then will follow school procedures to request an interpreter.
• When in a cooperative learning setting, student will use his advocacy skills to ensure full participation in the group.

How I Facilitate Self Advocacy

Every year, before the first day of school, I meet with all the teachers working with each of my students.  I provide them a mini training on teaching a child with a hearing loss.  We talk about their particular student's hearing loss, how it impacts his/her listening and communication, how the student communicates (talking, signing or both), and provide tips for working with a child with a hearing loss.  I give them a cheat sheet that includes the pertinent information about the student and his/her IEP including a list of accommodations and supplementary aids and services (SAS) the child receives. 

With the students, I give them several surveys of their likes, dislikes, strengths, needs, what they think helps them or hinders them in school, etc.  We then spend some time talking about what they think helps them be successful in school; what have they figured out they need to be successful.  I teach them about the various laws that pertain to deaf and hard of hearing individuals that affords them rights to accommodations and services.  We create spreadsheets to determine which SAS the student feel would be beneficial in each classroom, according to the teaching style (lecture vs. collaborative work), arrangement of desks, type of technology used, pace of class, etc.  Through scaffolding from modeling to eventual independence, the student learns how to approach a teacher to discuss accommodations and SAS needs for each class.  The grand finally, when I know a student has fully mastered being a self-advocate, is when he/she takes over my role and conducts the mini training with all his/her teachers with minimal support from me.

In this era, students need skills to be successful in school beyond that of academics.  By having the ability to self-advocate, their chances of being college and career ready truly soar.  My job is done when a student tells me they no longer need my help; they can advocate for themselves now.

Here are two resources I use when teaching self advocacy.

The Iowa Expanded Core Curriculum for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing lists self determination and self-advocacy skills that are essential for DHH children to learn.

Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss includes several tools to help teachers support their students' self advocacy development.

New School Year Commitments

Last month I had the honor and privilege of participating in the 2014-2016 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council convening in Seattle.  During my stay there, I learned about the various educational initiatives of the Gates Foundation whose goal is to make all students college and career ready.  What was continually emphasized was that teachers' voices matter; teachers help the Gates Foundation stay grounded in what they do.  All the master teachers in attendance were valued and held in the highest regard.  It felt like a week-long elevation and celebration of teachers. Simultaneously, our opinions on education reform and advocacy were embraced.  We were brought into the trusted inner circle of the Gates Foundation.  No words can express how that feels.

I absolutely love teaching; there is no better career in the world.  Where else can you find joy in watching a 3 year old deaf-blind child finally understand that the sign you have been trying to teach her means "more" or celebrate with a hard of hearing high school junior, that you have known since he was in the first grade, as he is accepted into the National Honor Society?  Only a teacher can experience these precious moments every day and know he/she has made an impact in a child's life.

As I reflect on my experience at the Gates TAC convening and my love of teaching, I begin to think about what my next steps are as an educator and a leader.  How can I take what I learned from the convening and from my reflections on the book Turning the Tide: Making Life Better for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Schoolchildren to make me a better educator and leader? How do I grow to collaborate with others to ensure that all students who are deaf and hard of hearing have a quality education that makes them college and career ready?  I know that I alone cannot fundamentally change the way we educate these students.  I can, however, commit to do what I can to support and collaborate with teachers, parents, administrators and others as we embrace effective teaching, the Common Core, and college and career readiness.

Dr. Vicki Philips, Director of Education at the Gates Foundation said, "Go bold with innovation."  As I contemplate the upcoming school year, here is how I plan to GO BOLD.

• I promise to offer more opportunities this year for my students to interact with other DHH peers and adults.  I plan to innovate by arranging social events throughout the year, such as bowling or roller skating.  I will use technology (i.e. FaceTime) to have my students talk to Deaf adults.  I will encourage all my students and their parents to attend Deafestival, Deaf Spelling Bee, Hands Alive, Explore Your Future and other events in our region.
• I commit to supporting parents as they navigate through the forest of deaf education.  I would love to set up sign classes again so that these parents can learn to communicate with their children.  I hope this can happen.
• I promise to investigate how to set up a weekend camp for DHH children and their parents as a way to offer support and education to parents and to provide social connections for DHH children.
• I commit to support my DHH teacher colleagues as we begin the new Teacher Professional Growth and Effectiveness System.  I know I need the support as well.
• I vow to continue the quest to reduce the isolation of DHH children because of the educational placement decisions made.  I hope through working with key individuals we can educate decision makers that there is legal precedent to having DHH students educated with their DHH peers at a nearby school that is not necessarily their neighborhood school.  Collaboration among teachers and administrators is vital to the education success of DHH students.  

All my professional commitments above cannot possibly happen through me alone.  I am surrounded by dedicated and awesome DHH teachers, interpreters, and assistants who all do what they can for our children.  Only when we collaborate can great things happen!

What are your commitments to your students this year?

Let's Turn the Tide

At the start of each summer, I browse through Amazon to see what new professional books need to become part of my library.  I just finished reading one such book: Turning the Tide: Making Life Better for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Schoolchildren by two Deaf researchers Gina A. Oliva and Linda Risser (2014).

While reading this book, I felt angry, excited, humbled, overwhelmed, validated, and inspired.  My book is filled with countless page tabs, holding the places of key information and statements made by the authors that I do not want to forget.

Yes, many of the suggestions for educational and social improvement the authors recommend are ones me and many others have been suggesting for years.  Others are new and energizing.  However, what make this book unique and exciting is how the suggestions came about.  You see, this book is actually a qualitative study of the experiences of deaf and hard of hearing adults ages 18-34 who spent at least 5 of their K-12 years "alone in the mainstream".  This means that there were no other DHH students in their classes, school, or even district.  Over 100 Deaf adults shared their mainstream experiences either via focus groups or online surveys.

I have read so many professional journal articles and books talking about the plight of deaf education and what needs to be done to make it better.  In Turning the Tide, however, we hear it straight from the horse's mouth.  We learn firsthand of how it is to be mainstreamed alone.

As a hearing professional, I am fully invested in deaf education reform; I spend many hours of my personal time doing what I can to improve the lives of DHH children.  However, I have never experienced what my students go through daily.  Only after reading this book do I get a glimpse of what life is really like for those "solitaire" students we itinerant teachers serve.

This book is full of personal experiences of the trials and tribulations that these DHH participants experienced as they struggled through their mainstream education.  I cannot possibly do it justice by summarizing it here.  However, I can say that their "saving grace" was the opportunities they had to get their "deaf fix". Whether it was summer camp, weekend programs or special trips, all participants cherished the opportunities they had to be with other DHH children.

Social Capital
I have been preaching and blogging about the social isolation DHH students feel as they are educated at their neighborhood school. Here is what the adults share in the book:

• Only 25% of the survey participants said they had hearing friends in school, which means a full 75% of the DHH respondents felt they did not have any hearing friends throughout their schooling!
• Only 12% of the surveyed DHH adults had other deaf and hard of hearing friends while in school, most met at summer camps or other events so that the friends lived out of town or out of state.  88% of these adults went through their schooling without having a DHH friend!  Can you imagine going through most, if not all, of your entire educational career and not having a friend that is just like you?  This also conflicts with IDEA that says students are supposed to have opportunities for direct communication with peers in their primary language.  This includes DHH peers!

Social capital - building friendships and relationships - is crucial to the educational experience of all children.  It is through these relationships that much incidental learning occurs in children.  If a child has minimal social capital, just imagine how much incidental learning they are being deprived of.

"The major different between friendships with deaf peers and friendships with hearing peers were that the deaf student was able to (a) be a full and equal participant; (b) converse with ease; (c) feel respected, accepted, and valued; and (d) feel emotionally safe and supported. (p. 35).

Don't we want all children to have friendships where they feel equal contributors in the friendship, that are not merely superficial due to limited communication, and can feel like they truly belong?  If so, then why do we continue to educate DHH children in isolation?  Why do districts still think it is OK to have the 3 elementary-aged DHH students go to 3 different schools instead of the same school?  Why is going to the neighborhood school still more important than the psychological well-being of DHH children?  There is legal precedent that allows DHH children to be "clustered" in one school.  We just need to let administrators know that it is OK to do so.

Pooling Resources
 Ever since the passage of IDEA an ever increasing number of DHH students are being served closer to their families in their neighborhood school, whether or not this is the most appropriate placement for them.  There was a time when the Kentucky School for the Deaf had over 400 students.  Today there is a little over 100.  What this means is there is a significant need for more DHH teachers and interpreters throughout the state to serve all these students being educated in their neighborhood schools.  Kentucky only has one teacher preparation program that graduates a handful of DHH teachers each year.  It also has only two interpreter training programs whose graduates may choose to enter PreK-12 interpreting, adult education or community interpreting.  Therefore with the current system, there is a high demand for teachers and interpreters, yet there is not enough supply to meet the demand.

Oliver and Risser share a study conducted by Carol Schwietzer of Wisconsin which studied itinerant teachers (pgs 109-111).  She found that:

• 70% (1,500 out of 2,200) DHH students in Wisconsin were being served by itinerant teachers.
• 1,000 of these students were alone in the mainstream

After calculating for travel time and actual service time, it was determined that the students were not being served well in the itinerant model.  Some itinerant teachers were spending up to 50% of their work day traveling!  (I wonder if this has been done in Kentucky.)  The stakeholders were then brought together to find a solution - creating cluster programs throughout the various geographical areas of the state.  By creating these programs, resources were pooled together to ensure that there were sufficient and quality DHH program team members, including DHH teachers, interpreters, SLPs, and assistants.  They were better able to support the families and the students' academic and social needs.  They had participation and support from special education directors from the very beginning.

The clusterization of DHH students is not a new phenomenon in the U.S.  Several states have gone this route.  Educators and other professionals working with DHH students realize that in order to truly provide a continuum of services options for all DHH students, to provide them with social capital, and to allow them for direct communication and instruction in their natural language (not through an interpreter), creating clusters/regional programs in conjunction with the school for the deaf is the best way to ensure all DHH students are afforded a high quality education in their primary language so they can be college and career ready.

If you care about the education of students who are deaf and hard of hearing, then you must read and fully digest this book.  Only then will you truly understand what we are doing to these students by educating them "alone in the mainstream".

It is time for Kentucky and other states to strengthen their schools for the deaf and create regional centers so that DHH children are no longer isolated and that they can finally receive high quality education!

In my next blog I will share what I promise to do to improve the education of my students.  What will you do?

A Whole New World

In the past sixth months, my world as an educator has widened like the Grand Canyon.  I believe I am very knowledgeable in the field of deaf education and try to keep abreast of the latest research and effective educational practices.  I do what I can to serve my profession well and to be a voice and leader to the key people in the field: parents, students, teachers, interpreters, and others.  However, my field of vision has been very narrow.  Little did I know about the vast Teacher Leader Movement happening around the U.S.  That all changed this past January.  Yes, I got a taste of this movement while serving as the KY Elementary Teacher of the Year, but I had no idea the depth and breath that Teacher Voice was taking hold all around me.

In January, right before being invited to attend ECET2 (I wrote about attending this convening in "Don't Be Isolated"), I stumbled upon the website for CTQ (Center For Teaching Quality).  This website brings teacher leaders together from throughout the U.S. to engage in dialogue on various educational issues.  I have joined their CTQ-KY Collaboratory and have lurked and participated in some bold and innovative discussions.

While at ECET2, I learned about Hope Street Group and the Prichard Committee, two organizations promoting transformative educational policy with teachers' voices at the forefront.

I also learned how teachers are using Twitter to expand their PLN. Since January my PLN has expanded exponentially.  I am connected to almost 100 teachers and teaching organizations around the U.S on a daily basis.

• I follow links to blog posts from many teachers on various topics.  
• I follow links to education articles that my PLN has shared.  
• I read Op-Ed pieces that teachers have written as a way to elevate their voice.  
• I keep abreast of happenings at the Department of Education and the various organizations I follow (both deaf ed and non-deaf ed).
• I learn about new Apps and other technology that I am eager to try with my students this fall.  
• I hear about educational books about teacher leadership, differentiated instruction, UDL, and numerous other topics 
• I live vicariously through teachers as they attend conferences.  For example, I was not able to attend this year Let's TALK conference but was able to follow along on Twitter as teachers shared photos, quotes, and other take-aways from the conference.  
• I occasionally attend Twitter chats on Thursdays by following #kyedchat.  Leaders create a topic and pose questions for participants to answer.  There are a multitude of education-focused twitter chats happening weekly.

The list goes on and on.  Twitter has become my instant professional development.

My eye opening experiences don't end there.  Two weeks ago I had the honor of traveling to Seattle as a new member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council.  There I learned the true meaning of Teacher Voice and Teacher Leadership.  I learned how to be a stronger advocate for educational reform.  I discovered that there are teachers everywhere with innovative ideas, doing what they can for the sake of all students.  I left with an indescribable feeling: to feel valued and respected enough to be entrusted with the innovative initiatives of an incredible philanthropic organization that keeps itself grounded by Teacher Voice.  I hope to write more about this experience in a future post.

I recently discovered that there is a new movement called Teacher Powered Schools.  "[T]eacher teams have secured authority to design and run their own schools. They make the decisions on aspects of school such as curriculum, budget, selecting personnel, and more. In addition to full schools, teachers can run a department within a school or a program that spans several schools."  What an incredible concept.  Can you imagine what would happen if teachers of the deaf and hard-of-hearing at a school for the deaf or in a region of a state were able to do this?  They are the experts and true leaders in the field of deaf education.  Maybe then all DHH children will become college and career ready.

Needless to say, teachers should no longer be teaching and learning in a silo.  There are countless avenues for teachers to collaborate, innovate, and celebrate.  If I kept my blinders on and never clicked on the FaceBook post about CTQ that appeared in my News Feed last January,  I would have never discovered this vast world of Teacher Voice and TeacherLleadership that is running rampant all around me.

Join me in expanding my PLN by signing up for Twitter and following me @heidigasl.  I hope to one day have enough DHH teachers in KY and around the U.S. as part of my PLN to start our own Twitter chat.  It takes a Village! 

The Need to Appreciate Each Other

Teacher Appreciation Week occurred recently.  This is the time of year when children give their teachers hand-made cards, parents chip in to buy gifts from the class, special treats are provided by the PTO.  I enjoy being treated like royalty for this one week each year (some years more than others).

This week is also a time where messages on FaceBook, Tweets on Twitter, Op-Ed pieces in on-line news bombard social media to ensure the public knows just how much we teachers do everyday.

As the school year winds down, I start to reflect on the past 2 years of my career.  So much has happened to me that I need to take the time to give appreciation to those educators, administrators, family and friends important to me.

First, I appreciate my husband and children more than words can say.  Without their support, I could not spend countless hours of my personal time continuing my professional growth and doing what I can to improve my field.

I appreciate Robin Bush, my Director of Special Education, who asked me two years ago to become an itinerant teacher after being in the classroom setting for numerous years.  She gave me the opportunity and the time to spread my wings as a Teacher Leader, encouraging me and supporting me along the way.

I appreciate Crystal Corum, the DHH teacher who took over my classroom.  I am so impressed with her quality teaching that she looks like a veteran teacher and not one with only a few years under her belt.  I have never worried about leaving the students in her hands.

I appreciate Denise Gross and Lisa Howe, the two people who were my rocks in my classroom.  They kept me balanced and in line.  No matter how controlling or frantic I was, they were always there for me. I would have never been able to be a successful teacher without them beside me.

I appreciate Carrie Wedding, an amazing special education teacher, who allowed me to take over her classroom and co-teach with for my KY ToY observation.  She and I have always clicked when it comes to educating students that we always gel when we are together.

I appreciate Ashland Oil and the judges for the Kentucky Teacher of the Year.  Being a special educator and winning an award that is normally won by a general education teacher still brings tears to my eyes.  I truly appreciate the judges for selecting me from a field of amazing teachers.

I appreciate my entire DHH cadre.  We fluidly work as a team to develop learning activities and special events for our students.  Their dedication to our profession is second to none.

I appreciate some special people at KDE - Johnny Collett, Todd Davis, and especially Amanda Ellis - for being open to exploring what is best for students who are deaf/HH and the teachers that serve them.  These three individuals have servant hearts and truly care about doing whatever it takes to make ALL students college and career ready.  I envision a time when ALL DHH students in Kentucky will receive the best education possible!

I appreciate the entire Board of the Kentucky Educators for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  These dedicated individuals give up their personal time in order to coordinate PD for teachers, promote quality education for DHH students, and listen to the needs of the teachers in their region.  We may still be only a few years old, but KYEDHH has the momentum to become a powerhouse.

I appreciate Christy Delk, Joann Ernst, Tony Peavler, and Elizabeth Ward for being rock stars.  The four of them and I are developing an e-guide of TPGES specifically for teachers of the deaf/HH.  By the time we are finished, we will have volunteered at least 100 hours to provide this support that is needed as we begin to implement TPGES in the fall.

Finally, I appreciate the mysterious person(s) who saw something special in me to recommend me for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council.  I am thrilled to start my journey with the TAC, and I hope one day I will learn who this person is and can thank them personally!

As you finish out your school year, take time to thank those in your life that make it possible to be the amazing teacher that you are!