Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Pinellas County provides educational services to over 200 students identified as deaf or hard-of-hearing. The Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Program offers a full continuum of services to meet both academic and communication needs identified on a student's individual education plan (IEP). Eligibility for the program is based on both a documented hearing loss and educational need. Services may begin at birth through the Parent-Infant Toddler Program where intervention is provided within the natural environment with direct parent involvement. Students aged 3 through 22 years can receive itinerant services at their home school or attend a designated school site where classes are taught by a teacher certified in deaf education. Each student who is deaf or hard-of-hearing has the opportunity to develop language skills using any or all of the following: residual hearing; speech reading; manual communication systems; speech; and/or appropriate amplification (hearing aids, sound field FM systems, etc.)

Interpreting services may be provided to students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing based on individual need.  The IEP team considers the communication and language needs of each student including opportunities for direct communication with peers and professional personnel in the student’s language and communication mode. Educational Sign Language interpreting services provide students access to classroom curriculum, facilitate communication within an instructional environment, as well as extra-curricular activities.  We also provide interpreting services for parents who are deaf/hard of hearing who want to participate in any school functions. If you would like to request an interpreter for a parent of student, please use the link below.

Request for Pinellas County Schools Sign Language Interpreter  

Additionally, a wide range of audiological services are provided for students through the district’s Audiology Program. All children from birth through graduation who reside in Pinellas County may be tested at our facility, located at Cross Bayou Elementary in Pinellas Park. If you would like to make an appointment or have questions about any audiological report you receive, if you want additional information about the implications of a hearing loss in an educational setting, please all 727-547-7833.

For more information about our DHH program contact:

Tricia Davidson
Program Coordinator: Deaf and Hard of Hearing
727-793-2732 Cell /Text 727-424-2531

American Society for Deaf Children
A national organization that provides support, encouragement and information to families raising children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
www.deafchildren.org

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
An international membership organization and resource center on hearing loss, spoken language approaches and related issues.
www.agbell.org

American Speech-Language –Hearing Association (ASHA)
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 191,500 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students.
www.asha.org

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
NAD is a private non-profit organization safeguarding accessibility and civil rights of individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. This organization administers the Captioned Media Program.
www.nad.org

Florida Department of Education Deaf and Hard of Hearing
This website will have resources, state laws and regulations and contacts.
Florida Department of Education Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Cochlear
Learn about the latest technology regarding cochlear implants.
www.cochlear.com

Classroom Interpreting
Classroominterpreting.org was developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, awarded to Dr. Brenda Schick at the University of Colorado – Boulder.
www.classroominterpreting.org

BabyHearing.org
BabyHearing.org is brought to you by a team of professionals at Boys Town National Research Hospital. We are: Audiologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Teachers of the Deaf, Geneticists, and Parents of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. This website was originally developed with support from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
www.babyhearing.org

Florida School for the Deaf & Blind Outreach
Wherever the need for services and information exists, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) reaches out to provide support and collaborates on statewide committees. We are more than just a school. For more than 130 years, FSDB has served as a trusted resource throughout the state of Florida and beyond. Our valuable partnerships with parents and families, local, state and national organizations and communities, and school districts impact hundreds of children and adults through our widespread network.
www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/index.php/outreach/