New Classical Academy at Vivian is the home of Jeffco’s D/HH Total Communication (TC) Program providing services to students with hearing loss in preschool-5th grade. Our DHH team includes Teachers of the Deaf, Educational Audiologists, Speech Language Pathologists, and a Mental Health Provider, as well as educational sign language interpreters for students whose receptive communication mode is sign language, and paraeducators.
The school also houses Jeffco’s D/HH preschool program and D/HH Plus (hearing loss plus additional disabilities) program. NCA at Vivian’s D/HH+ program uses academic and life skills to provide intensive language instruction for K-5 students, who usually, though not always, have a hearing loss as well as other additional factors, such as intellectual disability, blindness, cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, etc., using a Total Communication approach in a center-based classroom with mainstream opportunities.
In addition to D/HH classrooms, inclusion into general education classroom opportunities are available based on student performance and progress. Schedules are tailored to appropriately meet student’s communication, academic, and social needs to best define their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Teachers of the Deaf collaborate with general educators to ensure that a student with hearing loss will have their communication needs met.
NCA at Vivian Teachers of the Deaf (TOD) serve students with communication modes that fit each student’s diverse and unique needs. Due to these individual communication needs, TODs use any means of communication necessary to provide access to lessons and concepts, including sign language, voice, simultaneous communication, fingerspelling, lip-reading, visual phonics, amplification, writing, gesture, acting, drawing, pictures, etc. Use of primary-mode communication to provide access to lessons and concepts taught is often bolstered by pre and post teaching of information as well as reviewing and understanding of less familiar materials.