Teacher of the Hearing Impaired

Reports To: Executive Director of Exceptional Children

Terms of Employment: Permanent, 10 Month Position

Nature of Work

This position is responsible for planning, implementation and evaluation of educational instruction designed to meet the unique and individual needs of preschoolers thru seniors with hearing impairments assigned to the individual teacher. The teacher of the hearing impaired will be part of a team of licensed professionals with specialized training in hearing loss. They work together to address the unique linguistic, academic, and social needs of each student.

Qualifications and Licensure

• Bachelor's degree in Deaf Education, Special Education, or a related field.
• Hold a North Carolina (NC) Standard Professional Educator''s License
• Deaf & Hard of Hearing endorsement from NCDPI
• Prior school-based experience with students with hearing impairments or deafness
• Knowledge of IEP development, compliance and special education best practices

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as Case Manager to students with hearing loss in order to develop, implement and progress monitor Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Case management will also require the teacher to adhere to scheduling deadlines for Referral, Reevaluation, Annual Review and/or Amendment of the IEP including leading professional meetings using effective communication.
• Adapt curriculum and instructional strategies to meet diverse communication and learning needs.
• Utilize communications methods such as American Sign Language (ASL), total communication, auditory-verbal, etc. with students and, when appropriate, families.
• Collaborate with sign language interpreters, language facilitators, general education teachers, speech therapists, audiologists, special education colleagues and families about the need for, creation and implementation of IEPs and related services.
• Conduct assessments, track student progress and maintain detailed and accurate records in accordance with local, state and federal regulations.
• Support the need for, types available and usage of assistive technology, specifically hearing devices for the classroom.
• Promote an inclusive and supportive learning environment while providing direct, intensive instruction to develop spoken language and/or American Sign Language (ASL) skills, as determined by the IEP team and family, along with teaching students to use their residual hearing effectively with their hearing technology (hearing aids, cochlear implants) and also foster self-advocacy by teaching students to understand their hearing loss, manage their hearing technology, and request the accommodations they need (e.g., asking a teacher to wear an FM microphone).
• Other duties as assigned by the district.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to walk around the classroom, stand for extended periods, and navigate campus (e.g., supervising hallways, the cafeteria, or playgrounds).
• Work requires repetitive motions, frequently requires sitting and occasionally requires standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting.
• Ability to lift instructional materials, boxes of books, or equipment, usually up to 20-50 pounds.
• Reaching, bending, crouching, and occasionally moving classroom furniture to ensure student safety and engagement.
• Sufficient vision (with or without corrective lenses) to read student work and monitor the classroom, and adequate hearing to interact with students and listen for safety concerns.
• Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, and operating machines.

Special Requirements

• Preference given to applicants with documented sign language abilities, expressively and receptively.
• Strong background in North Carolina Course of Study/Common Core and Essential Standards.
• Must demonstrate leadership.
• Must establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students.
• Must work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students by improving communication and collaboration between the school and the home and community.
• Must uphold the Code of Ethics and Standards for Professional Conduct.

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees of this job.