Back to School Edition: Offering resources and tips to ensure uninterrupted support for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in Florida.
Resources



  • Virtual Teaching Hub: Features a curated collection of virtual teaching resources provided by the University of Florida Literacy Institute.
LSL Tip: Auditory Access for Pre-Teens and Teens
Shared by Melissa Pyzik, MED, LSLS Cert. AVEd
The tips below are important to ensure students have the best auditory access in the classroom in order to reach their full potential.

  • Audiological evaluations should happen yearly and include speech discrimination testing.
  • Students should be hearing at the top of an audiogram with their personal hearing technology.
  • Illness and growth spurts can impact cochlear implant mapping.
  • Students with hearing loss must have assistive technology added to their IEP or 504 plan to combat the effects of noise and distance.
  • Listening and processing oral information is the most efficient way to ensure grade-level literacy skills and academic success.

Want to learn more? Contact a seasoned hearing aid or mapping audiologist.
Something to Add to Your Bookshelf: "The Adventures of Billie Baha and her Super HEARo Friends"
Dive into the new school year with Billie Baha! The children's book authored by Jessica Jordan-Hogan and illustrated by Jacqui C. Smith tells the story of Billie, a young girl who has a bilateral hearing loss due to Microtia. Billie promotes bringing different friends together with her "kindness superpower."
Professional Development and Online Training
  • Parent-Professional Education Series: Featuring six free virtual presentations throughout the 2020-2021school year. Presentations will cover topics important to the education and well-being of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

  • The Online Itinerant: Features an online community and training portal for professionals and families of students with hearing loss.


  • TA-Live with RMTC-D/HH (November 18): The webinar "Families are Critical Partners" hosted on Wednesday, November 18 at 2:00 pm will address optimizing outcomes for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.


Additional Dates to Remember:



Have an event or resource to share?
Email Clarke Florida at florida@clarkeschools.org.
Bright Spot Story: "Pajamas All Day!"
Valyn, who is profoundly deaf and uses cochlear implants to listen and talk, reminded us this summer of an advantage of teleservices—wearing pajamas all day!
About Us and This Newsletter
"Talking About Florida" is a quarterly newsletter produced by Clarke Florida that serves as a resource for families and professionals. The newsletter is made possible through the Bureau of Exceptional Student Education and Student Services (BEESS) Discretionary Project Auditory-Oral Education Grant.

Clarke Florida provides an auditory-oral program for children ages 3-7 in partnership with school districts in Florida and the Department of Education. Over 200 students and their families are annually served through early intervention, preschool-first grade, mainstream and speech and language services.
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As an IRS qualified charity, gifts to Clarke are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Our Work. Our Reach. Your Role: New and increased donations will go even further thanks to a partial matching grant from a generous funder.

Since 1867, Clarke has provided children who are deaf or hard of hearing with the education needed to succeed in a hearing world. Clarke has evolved to best meet the needs of children and families today though our infant-toddler, virtual tVISIT, preschool, K-8, mainstream and summer programs, as well as through our hearing center, comprehensive educational evaluations and research and professional development.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech | 9803 Old St. Augustine Road #7, Jacksonville, Fl. 32257
Voice 904.880.9001 | florida@clarkeschools.org  | clarkeschools.org