What are the responsibilities and job description for the 2025-2026 Spoken Language Facilitator for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing position at Countywide?
Spoken Language Facilitator for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Overview: The Spoken Language Facilitator's primary role as a member of the educational team is to facilitate spoken language development and communication between Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students and classroom teachers, administrators, peers and other school staff. Other duties that may be performed when they do not interfere with language facilitation include tutoring, participation in meetings and being an active member of the school’s educational team.
Key Responsibilities:
? Monitors D/HH students’ understanding of all auditory information within the educational setting and facilitates spoken language communication between D/HH students and general education teachers, students and other school staff as appropriate in the student’s preferred communication mode(s) (providing acoustic highlighting, visual aids, cuing, etc).
? Monitors student comprehension and provides instructional reinforcement as needed, under the direction of the teacher of the D/HH. Introduces and explains vocabulary, reapers and reinforces classroom instruction, fosters appropriate classroom communication strategies and student self advocacy skills, coordinates the provision of lecture notes, and performs other tasks as appropriate to ensure the D/HH students have equal access to auditory information in the regular education classroom, under the direction of the teacher of the D/HH, and in accordance with student IEPs. The spoken language facilitator is not a teacher, nor is s/he a teacher assistant for the regular classroom teacher.
? Assists in monitoring of amplification and/or IEP progress as appropriate, documenting progress and concerns through logs, as determined by the educational team.
? Collaborates with the teacher of the D/HH and other school staff to ensure the needs of students are met, and serves as liaison within the school environment, promoting positive and cooperative relationships.
? Gradually leads student toward more independence, assuming responsibility for his/her own education and communication competence. Expectations for spoken language facilitators at the primary level are more comprehensive than at the intermediate level, with the goal of gradually phasing out the service to an individual student as appropriate.
? Serves as a member of the educational team(s) involved with particular D/HH student(s), and participates as appropriate in the Individual Education Program (IEP) process, in-servicing and consulting with regular education staff and students regarding spoken language facilitation service, teaming with appropriate teachers and staff, and providing spoken language facilitation service to learners.
? Demonstrates professionalism, applying the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Code of Professional Conduct to the educational setting as appropriate
Required Knowledge, Skills AND Abilities:
? Associate degree (required) and additional education (preferred).
? Strong interpersonal skills in relating to students and adults
? Specialized training OR the willingness to participate in training in the use of assistive devices, amplification, and spoken language facilitation techniques.
? Desire to continue development of knowledge, skills and abilities in the field, and the completion of appropriate staff development training to attain further knowledge, skills and abilities, including the completion of Individual Growth Plans as appropriate.
? Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written forms, with competence in English grammar and mechanics (spelling, capitalization, and punctuation) and strong interpersonal skills.
? Ability to work with students of varying maturational, communicative, cognitive, and functional educational levels.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills AND Abilities
? Experience working with D/HH students with varying communication needs within the public school setting.
? Working knowledge of typical language and auditory development .
? Understanding of the potential impact of hearing loss on communication, development, and learning,particularly in the areas of language and literacy.
? General background liberal arts, science,and math to allow understanding of content in K-12 curriculum areas
