Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationLiterature about educational experiences of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing with accompanying disabilities (deaf plus) and those who teach them is limited. Extant literature reveals that teachers have limited knowledge of effective practices in the education of students who are deaf plus. Broader educational literature links perceived lack of knowledge and skills to teach students with disabilities to negative teacher attitude, which can impact student outcomes. Educational research has also found that provision of support to teachers of students with disabilities improves teacher attitude and perception of effectiveness. Therefore, gaps in knowledge and skills of teachers of students who are deaf plus may result in such students not receiving an appropriate or effective education. Furthermore, appropriate provision of teacher support may positively impact the experience of teachers and students who are deaf plus. This national survey of teachers educating students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) investigated teacher access to supports and resources when teaching students who are deaf plus. Participants responded to whether 29 supports and resources were needed when teaching students who are deaf plus and whether they were available in their teaching assignment. All but one support was reported as needed by at least 70% of participants. Several items perceived as needed by large percentages of participants, such as feeling supported by families of students or by administrators and consultation with additional personnel such as speech-language pathologists or paraprofessionals, were also perceived by large percentages of participants to be available. Discrepancies in provision of supports were identified when items were reported as needed but not available. The largest identified discrepancies pertained to supports related to training needs, meetings, and extra time for planning instruction. The impact of factors such as experience teaching, significance of disability, teacher effectiveness, and inservice training on perception of need and availability of supports was also investigated. Perceptions of participants are not representative of every teacher of students who are deaf plus and, therefore, findings are not intended for direct application to schools and programs. Rather, outcomes provide a template upon which supervisors and teachers can discuss needs and availability