1. Tennessee Deaf Education
Introduction: I am a professional parent-infant, early interventionist in the field of deaf education, deaf-blind, multiple challenges, severe-profound, preschool special education.
TNDEAFED is not a non-for profit organization, it has no budget, staff, etc. We are a grassroots movement – everything is voluntary.

2. Introduction Tracy Duncan, M.Ed. / M.Ed.
Tennessee Deaf Education – TN-DeafEd
Sharon Bryant, Legislative Liaison
Tennessee Association of the Deaf
Tonya Bowman, Parent of Jasmyn
TN Hands & Voices, Family Voices,

3. Inclusive language
We will be using "deaf" in an all-inclusive manner, to include people who may identify as Deaf, deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled or deaf +, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and hearing impaired.
We recognize that for many individuals, identity is fluid and can change over time or with setting. 
We have chosen to use one term - deaf - with the goal of recognizing experiences that are shared by all members of our diverse communities while also honoring all of our differences.

4. Children Identified as deaf
Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions in America, with approximately three in 1,000 babies born with permanent hearing loss.
"Deafness is not about hearing, but about communication." Ogden (1996)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that the lifetime economic cost to the public for a child with hearing loss is more than $400,000, mostly for special education services. When children are not identified, and do not receive early intervention, costs rise to approximately $1 million per individual.

5. Partners Families across Tennessee
Professionals: teachers, interpreters, audiologists, SLP’s, etc.
Organizations:
TN Assoc. Deaf
TN Council for Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing
TN Hands & Voices
Bridges for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Sign Club Co.
and many others
Obviously this is not everyone, but a representation.
TNDeafEd wants to include everyone interested in learning about our activities.
Please TNDeafEd to learn more about us.
As a GRM, we need all the people we can get.

6. Partners TN-DOE: TN Legislature:
Families have met with TN DOE Commissioner and staff members.
Families consistently meet with their child’s school system.
TN Legislature:
TN-DeafEd has met with 80% of the Senate and Representative Educational Committee members.

7. Tennessee Deaf Education:
Is a grassroots effort that began in 2010, in large part due to DRIVING QUESTIONS (following slides).
Is concerned with the overall success of our deaf children ages birth – twenty-one.
Endeavors to address their unique language and communication learning needs at home, in the community, and educational settings.
Hopes to partner with the Tennessee Department of Education (TN DOE) to ensure the delivery of high quality Deaf Education throughout Tennessee.
Is committed to educating Tennessee policy and decision makers about needs of deaf children
We are about 150 strong across TN. More people lend their support once they know of TNDeafEd.
Previously called TN Bill of Rights.
TNDeafEd started back in The focus and initial activities followed the NAD DCBR model.
TNDeafEd is a grassroots movement.

8. Driving Questions
Data reveals Tennessee’s children identified as deaf are not demonstrating language skills found in comparison with their ‘typical’ peers, in the state or nationally.
How is Tennessee addressing the performance of these individuals?

9. Driving questions
There is no single person, or source, in Tennessee responsible for providing continuity in the education of children who are deaf.
This includes: ensuring the employment of highly qualified / specially trained professionals, gathering data, monitoring progress, supporting programs, overseeing services, and implementing program standards.
How is Tennessee addressing this issue?

10. SAT performance of 18 year old deaf students
In the United States, SAT reading comprehension scores for students identified with hearing loss demonstrated, “[...] on average, 18-year-old deaf students leaving high school have reached only a fourth to sixth grade level in reading skills. Only about 3 percent of those 18 years old read at the same level as the average 18-year-old hearing reader, and more than 30 percent of deaf students leave school functionally illiterate.”
(Marschark; Lang; Albertini, 2012)

11. Comprehensive Assessment Test Similarities: Florida & Tennessee
Effects of delayed language acquisition on school performance presented as follows:
75% of deaf and hard-of-hearing third graders did not pass the reading portion of the FCAT.
80% of deaf and hard-of-hearing tenth graders did not pass the reading portion of the FCAT.
High school students cannot graduate with a standard diploma until they pass the reading portion of the FCAT.
Tennessee does not aggregate these outcomes specifically for deaf and hard of hearing students, but given the consistency of results nationally and internationally, one can extrapolate similar outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing students in Tennessee. Dr. David Smith, UT-K Center on Deafness

12. Non-Confidential Data Request Form for Public Use
Please fill out the attached form and submit to We will respond to your requests within 30 days of request submission. Please visit the pages below for public data sources for Tennessee Department of Education: TN Data Downloads page: TN State Report Card:

13. 2015 TN Public Schools: Special Education http://www. tn

14. 2017 Numbers in Metropolitan Areas
Children Identified with Hearing Loss 3 – 22 years reported by Educational Audiologists in TN School Systems
2017 Numbers in Metropolitan Areas
West TN
Middle TN
East TN
Memphis
(estimate)
217
Metro-Nashville
Public Schools
214
TSD - Knoxville
200

15. The 2015 National Child Count of Children and Youth who are Deaf-Blind NCDB The National Center on Deaf-Blindness
From: The contents of this report were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H326T130013

16. 2015 Tennessee Deaf Blind Project
2015 Report by TN Deaf Blind Project
West TN
Middle TN
East TN
years of age 43
years of age 138
years of age 80
0 - 3 years of age 2 37 8
Total number of children identified with dual sensory loss : 255

17. School Age Profile: Hearing Aid Use
Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324A (Bess, PI) to Vanderbilt University, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences.

18. TN DOH – Newborn Hearing Screening (EHDI / CDC)
2015 Report by All TN Birthing Hospitals
West TN
Middle TN
East TN 29 59 43
Memphis – 15
Nashville – 29
Knoxville - 8
Total number of children identified with hearing loss: 131

19. 2016 Preliminary Newborn Hearing Screening Data TN DOH – Newborn Hearing Screening (EHDI / CDC)
Total Births Reported by TN Birthing Hospitals: 87,290
Total Babies Receiving Hearing Screen: 85,843
Total Babies Referred for Follow-up Hearing Screening: 4,325
Total Babies Identified as At Risk for Hearing Loss: 4,117
Total Babies Identified as having Hearing Loss: 122

20. Lost to Treatment / Early Intervention From American Academy of Pediatrics
This means the failure for a child with an identified hearing loss to receive needed therapeutic services and failure for families to receive needed information to support decisions regarding treatment options.
healthinitiatives/PEHDIC/Documents/Newborn_Hearing_Screening_Considerations.PDF

21. National Deaf Education Project (NDEP)
NDEP was established in 1998 to articulate and work toward the development of a quality communication and language-driven educational delivery system for students who are deaf.
Hands & Voices and NDEP are proud to be co-partnering NDEPNOW and working in collaboration to reform the education provided to deaf children.
The founder and director of NDEP is Lawrence Siegel, J.D.. The Board of the NDEP is comprised of representatives of Gallaudet University , the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, the American Society for Deaf Children, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools for the Deaf, and the Convention of the American Instructors of the Deaf. Deaf Child Bill of Rights Hands & Voices is a national non-profit parent-driven organization that provides communication-unbiased information, educational advocacy, parent-mentoring and much more to families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and to the professionals who serve them.

22. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF JOINT COMMITTEE ON INFANT HEARING YEAR 2007; 2013 POSITION STATEMENT
Principles and Guidelines for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs
ASHA, American Academy of Ped. American Academy of Audiology Council on Education of the Deaf, American Academy of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Director of Speech & Hearing Programs in State Health & Welfare Agencies

23. JCIH positon papers(2007 & 2013) endorsed by:
A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf
American Speech and Hearing Association
American Academy of Audiology
American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
American Academy of Pediatrics
Council on Education of the Deaf
National Association of the Deaf
American Society for Deaf Children
Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf

24. JCIH 2013 Early Intervention Supplement Principles and Guidelines for Early Intervention AAP Journal 2014
Goal 3: Access to an early intervention provider who has the professional qualifications and core knowledge/skills to work with infants and toddlers who are deaf.
Goal 3a: Access to a person qualified to teach families ASL as their chosen mode of communication, preferably a person with native or fluent skills able to teach parents/families and young children.
Goal 3b: Access to intervention services to develop listening and spoken language provided by professionals who have specialized skills and knowledge.
Goal 6: Communication/language progress monitored every 6 months through a protocol that includes the use of standardized, norm-referenced evaluations, for language, the modality of communication, social- emotional, etc.

25. JCIH 2013 Early Intervention Supplement Principles and Guidelines for Early Intervention AAP Journal 2014
Goal 7: All children who are identified with hearing loss of any degree* receive appropriate monitoring and immediate follow-up intervention services as appropriate.
Goal 9: All families have access to family to family support who have children who are deaf and who are appropriately trained to provide culturally and linguistically sensitive support, mentorship and guidance(TN does have a TN Hands & Voices)
Goal 11: All children who are deaf and their families will have access to support, mentorship and guidance from individuals who are deaf.
Goal 12: Children who are deaf and their families will be ensured of fidelity in the implementation of the intervention they receive.
*Unilateral; slight; auditory neuropathy; progressive; fluctuating

26. Prevention of Language Deprivation: Tracking Children
Example: Listening Spoken Language Data Repository (LSL-DR)
50 OPTION School programs in three countries
Gather data on educational, speech and language outcomes
Examine how children who are deaf develop spoken language
Population includes large numbers of children attending specialized educational program
The multi-center study, called LSL-DR for Listening and Spoken Language Data Repository, encompasses 50 OPTION School programs in three countries and will examine educational, speech and language outcomes.
OPTION Schools Inc., in collaboration with the Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, is conducting a study looking at how children who are deaf or hard of hearing develop spoken language.
“A lot of times the subject numbers are 10 to 30 kids, or if there have been multi-center studies it is mainly three to five programs. This study is significantly larger, allowing us the opportunity to learn about spoken language development in children who are deaf and hard of hearing who are in specialized educational programs.”
Hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects in America, with approximately three in 1,000 babies born with permanent hearing loss.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that the lifetime economic cost to the public for a child with hearing loss is more than $400,000, mostly for special education services. When children are not identified, and do not receive early intervention, costs rise to approximately $1 million per individual.
“In deafness, there is a lot of controversy regarding how a child who is deaf or hard of hearing communicates. Regardless of the communication mode used by the child, families should have outcome information about literacy, language, speech intelligibly and hearing technologies,” Bradham said.

27. Postsecondary Educational Programs Network (PEPNet) Deaf / Hard of Hearing ( (1/1/17) Renamed: National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes. The current cycle is funded by the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education via Cooperative Agreement #H326D Funding is provided from January 1, December 31,  
These avoidable childhood deficits contribute to fewer employment opportunities for deaf adults as well as to poorer physical and mental health outcomes.

28. “Deaf adults are underemployed and underpaid
“Deaf adults are underemployed and underpaid. [They] do not feel they have as many chances for promotion, to work their way up, or take on greater responsibilities at work. In 2011, 47.9% of deaf adults were employed. A greater number of deaf individuals were not in the labor force (44.8%) than in the general population (22.6%). Average income was $39,283, $4,000 per year lower than the general population.”

29. Financial Benefits
Tennessee schools will reduce school-based interventions, such as remediation in reading, writing, language, and literacy in mathematics.
Tennessee will create jobs. This means creating positions for new employment opportunities: ASL Teachers, Deaf Mentors, Certified Deaf Interpreters, etc.
Tennessee will have a work force prepared for numerous employment opportunities and tax paying citizens.

30. Financial Benefits
Tennessee schools will reduce social-emotional school-based interventions.
Tennessee will significantly reduce expenditures on Vocational Rehabilitation.
Tennessee will significantly reduce individuals enrolling on SSI-DI.
Tennessee will receive revenue from individuals ready for employment.

31. Academic Benefits
Children will perform academically within grade level expectations.
Children will graduate from high school with diplomas.
Children will transition successfully into post-secondary programs.
Children will demonstrate readiness for employment.
Children will become fully engaged citizens and tax payers.

32. Social Benefits
Natural bonding experiences for the parents, child, and extended family.
Empowered family systems.
Positive self-esteem development for the child.
Readiness for learning and starting kindergarten with appropriate age level skills.

33. TN-DeafEd requests: Commission on Deaf Education
Appointment of stakeholders to examine educational programs and services of children birth to twenty-one, who are deaf, in order to address programming.
Data Collection
Progress monitoring on language learning to gather data and track children(0 – 22) who are deaf.
Language Acquisition Learning Plan
Add this addendum to the Individual Family Service Plan, Individual Education Program, or 504 Plan
Beginning in May 2016, with enough data and interest gathered, community or public hearings began.
Consultation from many:
Am. Society for Deaf children / CEASD – Barbara Raimando
AG Bell – Gaya Hutsell
Began prioritization of TNDeafEd goals for educating legislators.
Data reveals TN D / HH / DB children are not demonstrating language skills found in comparison with peers or with national data. How can TN Address this issue?
There is not single contact nor source in TN responsible for continuity in the education of D / HH / DB children. That is, gathering, monitoring, supporting, overseeing, or tracking programs for student progress. How can TN address this issue?
The decision: gather data – establish a statewide commission to study education of D DB/HH children 0 – 21; gather data that includes demographics and performance on students as well as data on professionals working with D/HH/DB students; addendum to IEP / IFSP – Access to Language Learning Plan

34. Questions

35. ALL Children Should be
Seen & Heard

36. Related Activities Already in process on the hill:
ASL as a foreign language
HB 0462 / SB 0524
Educational Interpreter Law
Within the community:
Statewide Deaf Mentor Strategic Planning Committee
Statewide Deaf Literacy Initiative
These related activities are serving to educate those engaged in policy discussions, decision makers, and legislators.
This heightened awareness is very helpful to TNDeafEd

37. Thank you All Children Should be SEEN and HEARD!
Please feel free to contact TN-DeafEd:
Brochures, buttons, business cards