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The Outreach and Community-Based Division of the school provides audiological, consultative, and tutorial services to those deaf or hard-of-hearing students who attend their neighborhood or regional schools.
For additional information, please contact Gregory A. DeLisle, Deputy Executive Director, at 413.567.0375 Voice/TDD, or email: gdelisle at willierossschool.org.
Willie Ross School for the Deaf’s adoption
of an integrated approach and recognition that one size does not fit
all also extends to placement considerations. Certain students
with a hearing loss, appropriately diagnosed and programmed for, can be
successful attending their local public schools. However, it is
vital that a school for the deaf have oversight and a role in the
development of the educational plan, the delivery of services, and the
assessment of the program. The Willie Ross Outreach &
Community-Based Division responds to this requirement by providing a
range of services including consulting, programmatic, and direct.
Willie Ross School recognizes and supports the notion that not all children with a hearing loss should be placed in a school for the deaf. Drawing on that belief, the school established its Outreach Division, which provides services to children and students from infancy through age twenty-two. In keeping with its commitment to support deaf and hard-of-hearing students in inclusionary settings, Willie Ross offers a wide variety of services to the public schools. The goal of the division is to facilitate students’ education by providing assistance to develop accessible and appropriate environments for these students. Staff members are prepared to work with students who use total communication or who are auditory/oral or manual only. Whether it is a toddler, identified through universal newborn screening and receiving services at home, or high school students, receiving tutoring at their home schools, our services are there to assist them with their studies. The school recognizes that certain students with a hearing loss can be placed in their local, neighborhood schools. The Outreach Division provides the support and specialization that is needed to ensure that the academic environment is responsive to the students’ needs. The Outreach Division sponsors the Laurin Audiological Center, located in Pittsfield, made possible by the generosity of one of our Trustees. The cities of Pittsfield and Springfield receive extensive audiological support for their students with a hearing loss who attend their local public schools. The Curtis L. Blake Center for Audiological Services at the Longmeadow Campus provides services to Outreach Division students in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester Counties. Some of the specific services provided through the Outreach Division are here.
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