A Comparative Analysis of Provincial Ministry Regulations on the Roles and Services Provided by Itinerant Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
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Date
2020-06
Authors
Al Mawlawi, Zainab
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mount Saint Vincent University
Abstract
With the advent of universal newborn hearing screening, the advancement of technology and amplification systems, particularly with the development of the cochlear implant, as well as other developments in the outlook on education as a whole, deaf education has changed dramatically over the past fifty years. As a result of these changes, deaf and hard of hearing students are now integrated in mainstream school settings and supported by specialized teachers known as itinerant teachers. The research presented here focuses on identifying current best practices for the roles and responsibilities of an itinerant teacher of deaf and hard of hearing students and how these compare with provincial ministry legislation. Four documents from the ministries of Education of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority are analyzed using a qualitative content analysis (QCA) method. The documents are coded under six main categories: work with students, work with regular class teachers and other school personnel, work with parents, planning, assessment, and record keeping, coordination, liaison, meetings, and scheduling tasks and technical support. Major themes that emerge are: the availability (or lack thereof) of provincial documents, clearly outlined roles of the itinerant teacher, and acceptable terminology used throughout the documents.
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Keywords
Provincial Ministry regulations, education, deaf, hard of hearing