BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HEBRON -- The Kentucky School for the Deaf will provide two professionals to help coordinate a regional program for deaf students in Northern Kentucky, the school's superintendent said Thursday.
Dr. Harvey Corson said he wants to work with Northern Kentucky schools to develop a program for hearing-impaired students that would be operating by this fall.
"I am here to join forces with you," Dr. Corson said at the monthly meeting of the Northern Kentucky Association of School Superintendents. "We're ready to offer you two full-time people that will remain in Northern Kentucky. We can work with families and their children and teach them about deaf education."
Northern Kentucky's 14 school districts have discussed the creation of a regional program for three months. Many of the area's deaf students must now attend school outside their home districts. Some attend classes at St. Rita School for the Deaf in Evendale and the Kentucky School for the Deaf in Danville.
Superintendents said their student populations are significant enough to start offering more specialized programs. And the districts' special education departments identified education of deaf children as one of the most difficult areas for a district to handle alone. Now a program director and an early-childhood teacher from the Kentucky School for the Deaf will be able to help deaf students within or close to their home districts.
The early-childhood educator will work with children and their families to get a head start on the child's education.
"The biggest problem is dealing with language delays," Dr. Corson said.
Kenton County Superintendent Neil Stiegelmeyer said he thinks a regional program would ensure that deaf students receive a well-rounded experience. "It's important for them to be connected to both cultures, the deaf culture and the culture at their home school," he said. Larry Stinson, Fort Thomas Schools superintendent, said the regional program would also enable students to stay close to home and learn with their siblings and neighbors. the regional deaf education program could include placing deaf students in regular classes with an interpreter or offering extra help outside the classroom.
