What Does an Itinerant Teacher Do, Anyway?
People often ask me, "What Does an Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Do, anyway? How is this different from any other Teacher of the Deaf?
An ITINERANT TEACHER OF THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING is a traveling teacher that works with students who have hearing loss. Other names for this role include “Teacher of the Hearing Impaired”, (which, in general, is no longer considered politically correct), or a “Hearing Teacher,” probably because “Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing” is such a mouthful! You may also see DHH (Deaf/Hard of Hearing) Teacher or ITDHH (Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.) From here on out, if you see the letters DHH, that stands for Deaf or Hard of Hearing. You will see this frequently when talking about Deaf/Hard of Hearing students.
Where Did She Come From?
Historically, students who had a hearing loss and needed an IEP either attended...
What is an Itinerant Teacher?
What is an itinerant teacher? That word, I-TIN-ER-ANT, it’s hard to say let alone explain what it is.
In a nutshell, an ITINERANT TEACHER is a traveling teacher. You will most often see this type of teacher for students who have hearing loss or vision loss. For the purpose of this post, we’re going to focus on Itinerant Teachers of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing. We’ll discuss where this role came from and how it differs from a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing who is NOT itinerant.
Where did the Itinerant Teacher come from?
These days, the majority of Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing are itinerant teachers. It didn’t used to be that way. This is actually a fairly new concept in deaf education.
The delivery of services from a Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing have been impacted by a number of things, including evolving legislation, the Newborn Hearing Screening, Early...
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Stefanie Kessen
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Stefanie Kessen, M.Ed., Founder of The Online Itinerant, saw a need for added training and support for those who work with students who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families. With more than 25 years in the field of Deaf Education, as a Teacher of the Deaf, interpreter, and Education Specialist for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, she recognized that the key to changing the lives of the children was to support the adults who love and work with them. Through this epiphany, the vision of the Online Itinerant, an online portal that would create a community of support and provide for Professional Development needs and beyond, was born. Prior to formally launching the Professional Academy on July 1, 2018, a team of Founding Members worked together to identify the training needs for those who work with DHH students. During its pilot year, The Online Itinerant's Founding Members engaged in the development of a community that was expansive and powerful in supporting the professional development needs of all members of the IEP team in supporting students with hearing loss. The goal of The Online Itinerant is to build community and provide training, support, and resources for those who are passionate about meeting the needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. If you would like more information, contact Stefanie Kessen at [email protected]