The staff of the Willie Ross School
for the Deaf is dedicated to maximizing
the potential of all students.
The importance of spoken language and
listening skills is emphasized for our
students with cochlear implants.
Within this environment, the child is
immersed in the best of both the deaf
and hearing worlds. Because total
communication at Willie Ross (sign language
delivered in English word order simultaneously
combined with speech) is used throughout
the school, the child has access to
language and academics through both
eyes and ears. When the Team decides
that a student is ready, he or she may
attend the Partnership Campus located
within the East Longmeadow Public Schools,
where our students have teachers of
the deaf, deaf and hard-of-hearing peers,
and opportunities for mainstreaming
into public school classes with age-appropriate
hearing peers, as well as informal inclusionary
activities.
Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) are developed by the
Cochlear Implant Information Team to meet the specific needs of each
child. The Team is composed of a teacher of the deaf, a
speech-language pathologist, an audiologist, a counselor and, most
importantly, the student’s family. A student with a cochlear
implant has very specific speech/language and audiological needs that
are reflected in the IEP goals. Information regarding individual
and small group speech/language therapy and auditory training is
included in the IEP.
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The therapy and training are an integral part of the student’s school
day at WRSD. Skills learned in therapy are carried over into the
classroom and  modeled by the staff. The goals and objectives of the
IEP are monitored throughout the school year, and progress toward the
goals is regularly communicated to the parents.
The WRSD Team is committed to supporting both the student and his or
her family to ensure the success of every child with a cochlear
implant. We make every effort to maintain contact with the family on a
daily basis through a communication notebook, phone contact, home
visits, progress reports, and parent/teacher conferences.
Collaboration with the Cochlear Implant Center is essential to ensure
consistent services for the student.
The WRSD staff is knowledgeable,
experienced, and committed to the successof
each child.Our classroom environments are
well-equipped to meet the needs of our students
who have cochlear implants. We offer
expertise, guidance, support, and information
to ensure that each student has a positive
and successful educational experience at
Willie Ross School for the Deaf. Students
who are admitted with cochlear implants
receive appropriate audiological and rehabilitative
speech/language therapy and services.
Families of students who wish to consider
implants post admission should consult with
a physician. The Team will offer some
suggestions for each student.
At the Partnership Campus in East Longmeadow, all students have the
opportunity for academic mainstreaming. While all students who
are
mainstreamed have the services of a sign language interpreter for the
inclusion classes, it is possible that an individual student with a
cochlear implant may have the ability and opportunity to attend
mainstreamed classes without an interpreter. These decisions are
made by the Team on an individual basis.
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