We recommend several advocacy steps if you or your deaf and hard of hearing child needs more accommodation in a PreK-12 remote learning setting. Use the free Parent Advocacy App: Link !

Explore our newest advocacy letter and position paper for PreK-12 remote learning: Link

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[TRANSCRIPT & DESC: A freeze frame of Tawny signing video in black and white. White bold text “COVID-19” and light white text “steps to ensuring equal & accessible remote learning” floats in.

TAWNY: Families who think their deaf or hard of hearing child is having difficulty with remote education with either Synchronous and Asynchronous learning or are not getting equal and accessible information from their school -- this can be frustrating. You can take the following steps to resolve the issue(s). If a step does not work, try the next step. Extra steps might not be needed or your situation might be resolved with fewer steps. The first suggestion would be to communicate with your child’s teacher. If your child needs more services for remote education than was used in the classroom, you can still ask for any additional service(s) necessary for your child to understand and participate along with their classmates. If that step works, then great! However, if the situation is not resolved, take the next step. Talk with whoever is responsible at your child’s school for hiring interpreters, or for coordinating captioning and other support services. Share your concern that you or your child are not receiving accommodations. If that works, then great! If the situation is not resolved, take the next step. Talk with the principal or superintendent of the school, and explain that you or your child is not able to learn or understand what’s happening. Ask them to work with you to make sure you and your child get the accommodations and services needed. If no one at the school will help you with the remote learning for your deaf or hard of hearing child, you can request an immediate IEP amendment meeting. You do not have to wait for your next IEP meeting. At the meeting, you can discuss your concerns and adjustments needed to make sure your child receives the appropriate accommodations during remote education. Or if you have a Section 504 plan, you can also ask for a 504 meeting earlier to discuss accommodations and increased support for your child. Use the free Parent Advocacy App to help prepare for the meeting. If you feel that the steps taken were not successful, you can request ADA accommodations directly from the school. If you believe more accommodations such as an interpreter or captioning are needed, more than what is provided by the school (regardless of having an IEP, 504 plan, or none), you can still request those accommodations at any time from your child’s school for yourself or your child. If all else fails, you can file a complaint either by yourself through the U.S. Department of Education or U.S. Department of Justice or hire a lawyer to file a complaint in court. This will ensure that the school realizes they must make accommodations for your deaf or hard of hearing child or for yourself.

Video cuts to a dark blue background. Red alphabet letters of "N-A-D" in American Sign Language appear one by one in the center of the video. The copyright text appears in white underneath, "National Association of the Deaf, Copyright 2020, All Rights Reserved".]