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Washoe County School District marks Deaf Awareness Month, highlights DHH programs and new school accommodations
Summary
District leaders and students described services for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, interpreter qualifications and planned facilities upgrades at Vaughn Middle School as the board proclaimed September Deaf Awareness Month.
The Washoe County School District board of trustees on Sept. 9 recognized September as Deaf Awareness Month and heard presentations about services and supports available to deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students across the district.
Jennifer Vantress, chief academic officer for student development, told the board the district serves about 105 DHH students from birth through age 21 in a range of communication modalities. She described DHH programs at Hidden Valley Elementary, Vaughn Middle School and Wooster High School, where students receive instruction in both English and American Sign Language and have access to itinerant teachers of the deaf, speech-language pathologists and assistive hearing technology.
Two Vaughn students — Lucy Wilcox and DJ Salmon — spoke about their experiences. Lucy said the district’s interpreters, assistants and captioning “support me every day.” DJ, who described early struggles with language access, told the board he now “loves middle school” because he receives instruction in a DHH classroom, has interpreters and is “learning ASL.”
Staff explained supports that DHH students routinely receive: teachers of the deaf who provide specially designed instruction, ASL interpreters, teacher assistants, note takers, captioning on district videos and hearing assistive technology such as FM/DM systems and sound fields. Angela Flora, director of special education programs, summarized the instructional goal succinctly: “Access drives our achievement.”
Board members asked about qualifications for educational interpreters. An interpreter on the panel explained Nevada requires a bachelor’s degree, registration with the state, a written test and a performance assessment called the Educational Interpreters Performance Assessment (EIPA). Nevada requires an interpreter score of 4.0 for non-provisional assignments; provisional interpreters may work at lower scores while they upskill to the 4.0 standard.
Principal Mandy Lobkowitz described accessibility features planned for the new Vaughn Middle School building, including closed-captioning-capable displays, classroom beaming of public-address announcements and upgraded emergency-alert systems to ensure students who are deaf or hard of hearing receive emergency and routine communications.
Superintendent Joe Ernst and trustees praised the students’ presentations. The board adopted a proclamation recognizing Deaf Awareness Month and encouraged the public to learn about deaf culture, ASL and accessibility practices.
Staff noted that DHH services and placements are governed by federal law and district practice under IDEA, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and they described the district’s process for determining individualized supports via IEPs and 504 plans.
