Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Auditory/Oral Specialist

Learn more at these informational meetings

School districts may request informational meetings to be held at their location if there are over five interested participants.

Note change of date!
February 3, 2009 (Tuesday)
6:00-8:00 p.m.
John A. Logan Community College
Crisp Room
700 Logan College Road
Carterville, IL
E-mail your RSVP and request any special accommodation

February 5, 2009 (Thursday)
6:00-7:00 p.m.
Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
E-mail your RSVP and request any special accommodation

March 6, 2009 (Friday)
ITHI Convention
E-mail your RSVP and request any special accommodation

Maximizing auditory and spoken-language development in young children with hearing loss

This year-long, five course sequence of study aims to increase the number of personnel qualified to provide early intervention for Illinois children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Upon completion, candidates will have earned a deaf and hard of hearing auditory/oral specialist graduate certificate from Illinois State University and received the training needed to become credentialed within the early intervention system in Illinois.

This graduate-level program builds upon the current undergraduate curriculum in deaf education, which is one of two such programs in Illinois, and can be taken as a stand-alone graduate certificate program or included as part of the master's degree.

Admission

Interested applicants will be screened to ensure they meet the minimum requirements before they are encouraged to apply, including the following:

• Initial certification in Deaf Education, degree in Speech Pathology, or a degree in Audiology
• Baccalaureate Degree
• Minimum grade point average in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or the submission of acceptable Graduate Record Examination scores.
• Current teaching certificate and one year of successful teaching experience or successful petition to the Department of Special Education Graduate Admissions Committee
• Prerequisite coursework, including survey of special education, educational assessment, and introductory level of sign language or these will be noted as deficiency courses that must be completed prior to enrolling in SED 400 level courses.
• The applicant’s stated professional development goals, expected to be facilitated by completion of this master’s degree program
• Evidence of disposition for advanced study in the special education profession

A maximum of 15 students will be accepted into the program this year. At the request of our funding agent, preference will be given to applicants from underrepresented populations and high-need geographical areas. Tuition scholarships and stipends will be provided to accepted applicants.

Locations

Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, Illinois

Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

Coursework

A minimum of 15 hours is required. SED 498 requires application of knowledge and skills with appropriate student populations. Therefore, students may be required to enroll in more hours depending on their previous experience.

The following courses are part of the curriculum for this specialist program. For details concerning a given course, please visit Illinois State University's Graduate Catalog. Download a Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Auditory/Oral Specialist Plan of Study (pdf).

Summer semester
July 6–July 31, 2009
Classes meet three times a week.

• SED 402 — Aural Rehabilitation for Young Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• SED 404 — Collaboration with Families and Professional Serving Deaf Children Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Fall and Spring semester
September 1, 2009–May 15, 2010

• SED 498: Professional Practice: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Auditory/Oral Specialist — an individually designed course that required seven Saturday seminars, professional practice observations, and other projects as agreed upon between student and supervisor

Summer semester
Summer 2010

• SED 403 — Developing Oral Communication in Young Children Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• SED 405 — Auditory/Oral Educational Methods for Young Children Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children

Application information

This program will be available through 2010. The last opportunity to join a cohort is by applying for this 2009-2010 program.

Admission material must be received by Monday, April 13, 2009. Materials will be available at informational meetings or may be downloaded from the Web.

Graduate advisement

Learn about the advisement process for students seeking certificates.

About the program

This program has been designed to reduce the critical shortage of personnel trained to work in early intervention with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. It addresses the in-service needs of existing personnel to improve their knowledge and skills in two primary areas:

1. enhancing the auditory and spoken language skills in the child; and
2. developing competencies specific to working with infants and their families.

Beginning in July 2007, Illinois State University began preparing new personnel over a four-year period that would be highly qualified to work with families with infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many participants from Cohorts 1 and 2 are currently serving in the Illinois Early Intervention system.  The ISU Graduate Certificate program utilizes an advisory board, the combination of classroom and fieldwork learning, and a network of mentors to support graduates in the field.

This certificate program evolved out of the IOI Project, a unique partnership between Illinois State University, Oakton Community College, and International Center on Deafness and the Arts. It is supported by a grant from the United States Department of Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS: CFDA84.325K).

Questions?

For more information, please contact Tracy Meehan (630-336-3765) or (309-438-8988).