Submitted by: Janelle Parker, NC Teacher
The lockdown announcement came over the intercom during class.
As the teacher assigned to check the restroom beside her classroom, the art teacher headed there immediately before securing her door.
From the doorway, she called into the restroom, but no one answered.
Following her training, she stepped inside to complete her safety sweep and checked each stall.
That was when she noticed a backpack on the floor beside one of them.
She recognized the keychain immediately. It belonged to a student who had been in one of her art classes the previous semester. The student was deaf.
Feeling a little awkward, she knelt down and waved beneath the stall door, remembering that the student's Teacher of the Deaf had once shown her that simple strategy for getting the student's attention. A hand waved back.
The student came out of the stall, and with a few simple gestures, the art teacher directed her into the art room where everyone else was sheltering. It was enough for that moment.
Pretty soon the announcement came that the drill had ended, and students returned to their normal routines.
The experience stayed with the art teacher.
She had known just enough to help in that moment.
But she found herself wondering what she would have done if the situation had lasted longer.
The next day, she asked her principal a simple question.
"Do we have a plan for situations like this?"
That question is worth asking before the school year begins.
Every school has emergency procedures designed to protect students and staff. As administrators review those procedures each year, it is also an opportunity to consider how students who are deaf or hard of hearing will receive information when normal routines suddenly change.
Every Student Communicates Differently
There is no single communication plan that works for every student who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Some students communicate mainly through spoken language. Others use American Sign Language. Some work with an educational interpreter throughout the day. Some wear hearing aids or cochlear implants. Others use assistive listening technology in the classroom. Some students may also have language delays that affect how they understand new information, especially during stressful situations.
As you prepare for the school year, take time to talk with your Teacher of the Deaf, educational interpreter, and educational audiologist about the students they support. Each student's communication needs are different, and planning should reflect those individual differences.
Planning should also extend beyond the classroom teacher. Include support staff, specials teachers, office staff, substitutes, and anyone else who may interact with the student when routines change. A conversation before school starts can make a meaningful difference later.
Emergencies Do Not Always Happen During Class
During a typical lesson, students often have the people they rely on nearby.
An interpreter may be in the classroom. The Teacher of the Deaf may be providing services. The classroom teacher may understand the student's communication style.
Emergencies rarely happen at the perfect time.
Students may be arriving at school, changing classes, eating lunch in the cafeteria, visiting the library, attending art or physical education, walking through the hallway, or using the restroom. During these moments, they may be with adults who know them well, or they may be with staff members who interact with them only occasionally.
Planning for these situations before they happen helps everyone respond with greater confidence.
Communication During the Emergency
An emergency announcement is only the beginning.
Many public address systems are difficult to understand in large spaces such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, libraries, hallways, and courtyards. Students who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants may hear that an announcement is being made but still struggle to understand the message.
Loud alarms can create additional challenges. Some students may find sirens overwhelming and temporarily turn off or remove their hearing technology. Without those devices, understanding spoken instructions may become even more difficult.
Communication can also change because of the emergency procedure itself. During some drills, classroom lights are turned off. This can make it harder for students who rely on visual communication to see an interpreter, teacher, or classmates. A student who depends on speechreading, facial expressions, or sign language may suddenly lose access to important information because sightlines have changed.
Thinking through these situations ahead of time helps staff focus on supporting students instead of trying to solve communication challenges in the moment.
A Few Strategies to Consider
There is no single strategy for notifying a student who is deaf or hard of hearing during an emergency. The right approach depends on the student, the setting, and the type of emergency.
Depending on the student and the situation, a communication plan might include:
- A predetermined visual signal the student has been taught to recognize.
- Written or text-based information when it is safe and practical to use it.
- Direct communication using sign language, gestures, spoken language, or another method the student understands.
- A designated staff member who knows to check locations where the student may be separated from the group, such as a restroom.
- A plan for communicating when lights are off, visibility is limited, or the student's usual communication method isn't available.
- A backup plan for times when an interpreter or familiar staff member isn't available.
These are examples, not a checklist for every student. The appropriate strategy will depend on the type of emergency, the student's age, communication method, location, level of independence, and familiarity with the person providing directions. A strategy that works during a fire evacuation may not work during a lockdown or tornado warning. The student's D/HH team should be involved in identifying and practicing communication strategies that work for that individual student.
Preparing Students Before the Drill
Communication is also about understanding what is happening before routines ever change.
When teachers explain why emergency drills take place, what students should expect, and what different signals mean, students who are deaf or hard of hearing need access to those conversations too.
Administrators may want to ask whether the student was actually present when that information was explained. A student may have been receiving services from the Teacher of the Deaf or another special education provider at the time. If so, the student may have missed background information that helps future drills make sense.
Preparing students includes making sure they understand not only what to do, but why they are doing it.
Build a Team, Not a Person
Strong planning should never depend on one individual.
An interpreter may be absent. A substitute may be covering a classroom. The Teacher of the Deaf may be serving another school that day. Staff members take breaks, attend meetings, and move throughout the building.
It is easy to assume that a student has an interpreter, so communication is already covered. But the interpreter may be at lunch, in the restroom, on a break, or supporting another situation when routines suddenly change.
Instead, build a team of trusted adults who understand how each student communicates. Include classroom teachers, special education staff, administrators, office staff, specials teachers, paraprofessionals, and substitutes in the conversation.
Teachers of the Deaf often serve multiple schools, and every building has different procedures and layouts. Inviting them to participate in beginning-of-year planning helps staff understand each student's communication needs before an emergency occurs.
Providing building maps, emergency procedures, and information about the auxiliary spaces where students receive services also helps everyone work from the same plan.
Substitute plans should include clear, useful information about how to communicate with the student. This does not need to be complicated. Even a few specific strategies can help a substitute respond more confidently.
Many communication strategies developed for students who are deaf or hard of hearing also benefit other students during stressful situations.
Planning Today Supports Independence Tomorrow
One goal of deaf education is helping students become confident and independent.
Preparing for situations where routines suddenly change is part of that process.
When communication needs are considered ahead of time, students can focus on following directions instead of trying to figure out what is happening. They gain confidence because the adults around them have planned together.
Students grow. Staff members change. Communication needs evolve throughout the year.
The strongest plans grow right along with them.
As you prepare your school for the year ahead, ask one additional question.
How will each student in our building receive information when normal routines suddenly change?
A safety plan is not truly effective until everyone has been considered, and that plan should continue to grow as the needs of students and staff change.
How Equalize Sensory Services Can Help
If your district would like support planning for the communication and access needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, Equalize Sensory Services is here to help.