First Day Back to School... Crushed It.
Welcome Back to School!
We are excited to start the 2019-2020 school year with you! Keep reading for some fun back to school resources!
Welcome to RMTC-D/HH's Newest Team Member!
RMTC-D/HH would like to welcome its newest Deaf Education and Training Specialist, Candace McIntire! Candace received her bachelor’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Deaf Studies from the University of North Florida. Her master's degree is in Deaf Education: ASL/English Bilingual Early Childhood Education from Gallaudet University. This is her eighth year in the field of Deaf Education. She has taught students from birth to 22 across the continuum of services from self-contained to consultation. She began her career as an elementary school inclusion teacher in an auditory-oral program for students who are D/HH for two years. Then, she was a self-contained teacher for two years at a total communication site school for students who are D/HH. She went on to be a program specialist for D/HH for three years. Her specialty areas are Reading and ASL/English Bilingualism. She is also the current president of Florida Educators of Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (FEDHH). She is married to an amazing man, Sam, who is also in the field of education as a high school science teacher. They have a beautiful 8-month old baby boy. In their free time, they enjoy going on walks, reading stories, and playing board games (after the boy is asleep...sleep?).
Research-Based Literacy Interventions for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
It is often said that students who are DHH are significantly outperformed by their hearing peers in the area of literacy (Luckner et al., 2006; Marschark et al., 2009; Easterbrooks & Beal-Alvarez, 2012; van Staden, 2013). Being able to use research-based interventions is an integral part of making sure students are equipped with the tools they need to be literate, successful members of their communities. Luckner et al. (2006), claimed that “without well-developed literacy skills, students cannot participate fully in classroom learning.” Each child, regardless of hearing, has the right to equal access to the classroom and learning activities. If teachers are not equipped with tools and strategies that are specific to teaching literacy to a child who is deaf/hard of hearing, then that child is not being provided equal access to the classroom. Students who are deaf/hard of hearing often need explicit and specially designed instruction in reading. RMTC-D/HH has compiled a list of six research-based literacy interventions/curricula that are specifically designed for students who are D/HH.

RMTC-D/HH brought four of the six research-based interventions/curricula to Florida during the 2018-2019 school year. Three teachers in Florida public schools participated in all four research-based interventions to use in their classrooms/service delivery. We would like to thank St. Johns County, Okeechobee County, and Seminole County for allowing these teachers to participate and implement D/HH-specific strategies with their students. Congratulations Traci Clark, Felicia Massie, Krista Phelps-Elliott! For more information on each intervention and the total participants during each training you can view the Specially Designed Literacy Interventions for DHH infographic or the Specially Designed Literacy Interventions for DHH text version .
spotlight
Expanded Skills Spotlight
Students and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing may require specialized communication access in all aspects of academic and community life. One area where communication access is vital for safety is during interactions with law enforcement. Teachers can use the video of Marlee Matlin describing safe behaviors during a traffic stop as an opportunity to teach Expanded Skill Standards. Standard SP.PK12.DH.3.1b reads, “describe own hearing loss, including identifying self as deaf or hard of hearing...and describing accommodations...and interpreting needs to teachers, peers, and community members.” Being able to describe hearing status and needed accommodations can help alleviate unnecessary misunderstanding and potential trouble for the student if they are equipped with the skills to self-advocate. Perhaps even more appropriate is Expanded Skills standard SP.PK12.DH.5.3 , which reads, “Use appropriate behavior in response to situational demands and modify behavior as needed.” 

Next month, our Tech Notes themes are on Deaf awareness and how assessments are used in transition. Have an idea or lesson plan for Expanded Skills standards related to this topic? Email your idea to candace.mcintire@rmtcdhh.org .
Spotlight
Teacher Spotlight
Krista Phelps-Elliott is a Kindergarten to 5th grade self-contained/resource teacher for students who are deaf/hard of hearing at Altamonte Elementary School in Seminole County Florida. She received her B.A. in Deaf Education and Intellectual Disabilities from Flagler College. She has worked with elementary-aged children who are D/HH for the past 33 years. Krista was the Seminole County Teacher of the Year in 1990. She has been using Visual Phonics since 2004 and has enjoyed much success with her students, enabling them to use phonics which benefited them academically. She has been a Visual Phonics trainer since 2005. She completed training in all four research- based interventions/curricula for students who are D/HH offered by RMTC-D/HH: Fairview Learning, Foundations for Literacy, Visual Phonics, and Fingerspelling Our Way to Reading.

Krista was also given the opportunity of having her classroom renovated .

Know a teacher of students who are deaf/hard of hearing who is doing amazing things in their classroom? Email a description of what they are doing to candace.mcintire@rmtcdhh.org to be added to the next Tech Notes!
Teacher Toolkit
Teacher toolbox
Sign up for information from various national outreach services now for the new school year!
News from RMTC
RMTC-D/HH has been busy attending trainings this summer. RMTC-D/HH staff have participated in the following conferences and workshops:
  • Summer Literacy Institute
  • National Deaf Center Engage for Change
  • Clinical Educators Training
  • Communication Matrix Training

We have also had the opportunity to visit some districts and provide targeted technical assistance specific to their requests. 

We are currently getting ready for project-specific and collaborative trainings. Will you be attending the August 14th TALive! webinar? Remember the time has changed to the second Wednesday of every month at 2pm! Don't forget to register !

If you haven’t already bookmarked our Event Calendar , you should definitely check it out. RMTC-D/HH has compiled a list of relevant opportunities for professionals working with students who are D/HH for the entire 2019-2020 school year. We look forward to seeing you at an event.
Did you know?
  • There are current ď»żjob openings in the field of Deaf Education in FL.
  • Have a job you would like to post? Submit it here.
  • The Clerc Center has a new Parent Advocacy App to help parents navigate through IEP meetings, 504 meetings, or other meetings.
  • You can now check out the Shared Reading Project kits (developed by the Clerc Center) from the RMTC/DHH Media and Materials Loan Library. Just type in Shared Reading Project in the search field to see the list of book titles available.
Upcoming Events: Save the Date!
  • September 11: TALive! Keep Moving Forward: Test Taking Strategies for Improving ACT Scores
  • September 23-29: Deaf Awareness Week (See activity ideas here)
  • September 25: Deaf Pioneer Day. Register here!
  • October 14-15: Working with the Experts: Fingerspelling Our Way to Reading
  • October 21-22: Working with the Experts: Putting It All Together Part 1
  • November 15-16: 2019 FEDHH Conference

Check out the  RMTC-D/HH 2019-2020 Calendar  for more upcoming events!
RMTC-D/HH provides Tech Notes as a free resource to teachers, professionals, and parents around the state in order to pass along potentially useful information and expand the knowledge and opportunities available to educators and families of children who have hearing loss. This email was funded by the Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services through federal assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Part B funds. The information included does not reflect any specific endorsement by any parties involved.