Supporting Success offers Customized Professional Development
Customized Professional Development for Deaf Education Teams
Supporting Success provides comprehensive professional development solutions designed specifically for educators in the field of Deaf Education. Our programs address the unique challenges facing teachers who require specialized resources, guidance, and instructional support.
We offer flexible session formats ranging from focused 60-minute workshops to intensive full-day training programs, covering a broad spectrum of topics relevant to contemporary Deaf Education practices. Each presentation is tailored to meet the specific needs and objectives of your educational team.
Our multidisciplinary team brings diverse expertise and perspectives to every engagement. Team members include a parent of a Deaf child, certified Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing with experience across itinerant, classroom, and center-based instructional settings, administrative and higher education experience.
This varied background ensures that our professional development offerings are both theoretically grounded and practically applicable, addressing real-world challenges while incorporating best practices in Deaf Education.
Evaluating Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Choosing the Appropriate Assessments
Teachers play a critical role in the assessment process for students who are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). Understanding which tools accurately reflect a student’s abilities is essential for developing effective IEPs. This session will review the areas of assessment, determining the appropriate assessment(s) for each area, how and when to use it, and finally interpreting the data to create the most effective IEP possible.
Objectives:
- Identify areas of assessment.
- Choose assessment tools and practices that are appropriate for testing those areas.
- Understand how to interpret test results in the context of a student’s hearing difference, language development, and educational background.
Length:
90 – 120 minutes
Getting Students Ready for Life After High School: Secondary Transition
Preparing d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing students for life beyond high school requires a comprehensive, individualized approach that addresses academic, vocational, social, and self-advocacy skills. This workshop explores best practices in secondary transition planning, including how to develop effective IEP transition goals, facilitate student-centered planning, and connect families and students with resources that support postsecondary success.
Objectives:
- Understand the legal framework and key components of secondary transition planning for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
- Develop individualized and realistic transition goals that reflect each student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs.
- Integrate self-advocacy, communication planning, and career readiness skills into daily instruction and IEP development for DHH students.
Length:
90 – 120 minutes
Incorporating the Expanded Core Curriculum for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students into Daily Instruction
The Expanded Core curriculum (ECC) addresses the unique learning needs of students who are d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing beyond the classroom curriculum. This course gives teachers practical strategies to integrate ECC components – such as self-advocacy, communication, social-emotional skills, and career readiness – into everyday instruction.
Objectives:
- Explain the components of the Expanded Core Curriculum and their importance in supporting the holistic development of DHH students.
- Design instructional activities that integrate ECC skills into academic content and individualized student goals.
- Implement daily teaching practices that foster independence, self-advocacy, and social-emotional growth in students who are DHH.
Length:
90 – 120 minutes
Building Skills for Success in the Fast-Paced Classroom
The one-day workshop reviews the information contained within the 500-page Building Skills for Success in the Fast-Paced Classroom book, by Dr. Karen Anderson. This book is owned by more than ¼ of the teachers of the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the U.S. Seven chapters cover assessment, understanding the effects of hearing differences on speech perception, auditory development, social and conversational competence, communication repair, self-concept development, self-advocacy, and accessing the general education curriculum.
Objectives:
- Describe the educational impacts of a hearing difference and functional assessment of adverse educational needs.
- Use materials to improve communication skills, including auditory development, social skills, conversational competence.
- Use materials to improve function in the classroom via self-advocacy, communication repair, and accessing the general education curriculum.
Length:
Full Day
Materials:
Building Skills for Success in the Fast-Paced Classroom book
The Supporting Success Team welcomes opportunities to speak to teachers and other professionals who work with students who are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing. We also welcome the opportunity to speak to parents and families who need guidance on finding resources and advocating for their child. With years of experience and hands-on knowledge, our team brings valuable insights to educators, administrators, and families. Please note that presentations can be tailored to the audience.
Booking Information:
FMI: Contact Michelle Andros, Director of Professional Outreach and Development
Notice: Minimum of 60 days’ notice requested.
Format: Virtual or in-person sessions welcomed.
Fees: Based on event details.
Materials: Downloadable resources are provided with each session. Books can be purchased separately. Contact: Brenda Wellen at brenda@success4kidswhl.com, or call 1-888-963-8991.
