Places to go

Hearing and vision impairment

Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children(RIDBC) is an independent organisation focused on the educational needs of children with significant vision and/or hearing impairment, as well as additional disabilities. The RIDBC website offers specific information for professionals, including access to their various publications.

Teaching Students with Sensory Impairments – Strategies for Mainstream Teachers, is the result of collaborative work between educators in the United States, Australia and New Zealand who specialise in working with students who have a sensory impairment. There are specific sections for hearing and vision impairment and a range of practical advice for teachers seeking to enhance their inclusive classroom practices.
 

Hearing impairment

This website by Aussie Educatoris a ‘go-to guide’ which lists a large number of websites and organisations linked closely to the education of students who have a hearing impairment.

This website from the Queensland Government Department of Education and Training (DET) includes a number of ideas for adjustments which may be made in schools in order to best benefit the needs of students who are hearing impaired.

This website from the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) is a place in which possible teaching and assessment strategies for students with a hearing impairment are collaborated.

This Itinerant Connection website from the United States contains detailed information on hearing loss and inclusion tips for itinerant teachers. The main Itinerant Connection website also has a number of links to further helpful sites for Itinerant teachers.

This American blog-like website is designed as a collaborative space for Itinerant support teachers and contains a wide variety of links to resources which can assist educators in their understanding and teaching of students who are Deaf or have a hearing impairment.

This specific site for parents developed by Aussie Deaf Kids includes a range of links related to information and support for parents and families. The site links to forums for parents and information about how to improve the livelihood of children with a hearing impairment.

Parent's Council for Deaf Education (PCDE) is a non-profit organisation based in NSW which supports parents of children who are Deaf or have a hearing impairment. It collaborates with parents, professionals, other organisations and government departments to promote equity of access to services and opportunities for families of children who are Deaf or hearing impaired. PCDE run support groups  known as PoDs (Parents of Deaf) throughout the year in Sydney.

Vision impairment

This website from the Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) provides an overview of vision impairment in education and provides links to a variety of vision impairment related resources.

This Queensland Government website is a professional community set up for those working with students who have vision impairment. It includes links to presentations and documents which are beneficial for teacher professional development. 

This website from Aussie Educator is a ‘go-to guide’ which lists a large number of websites and organisations linked closely to the education of students who have a vision impairment. It contains specific links to sites designed specifically for children and those for parents, as well as those designed for professionals.

This site for teachers of vision impaired students from the Educational Service for Hearing and Vision, based in the United Kingdom is specifically useful for teachers or classroom assistants who have not had very much experience working with students who are vision impaired. It contains frequently asked questions and useful practical strategies for approaching classroom interactions.