Guidelines for the Adaptation of Preschool Environments to Integrate Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Hearing Children

Abstract

Integrating children with disabilities into various early childhood settings is becoming more and more common. Parents, teachers and legislators realize that classes need to reflect the larger society. Though research indicates that children benefit from such arrangements, there is still resistance and barriers to this inclusion. One of the barriers to integration is a lack of training and information about children with disabilities.

The focus of this article is on deaf and hard of hearing children. The authors believe that a quality early childhood program can be successfully expanded to accommodate deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children, with in-service training, the addition of staff who can communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing children and with physical changes. Modifications to aspects of the environment are discussed. The authors interpret environment to include a visually stimulating, safe physical layout; deaf or hard of hearing as well as trained hearing staff members to work with deaf and hard of hearing children; the most appropriate communication milieu, and appropriate curriculum activities.