Yolo County Office of Education - Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)

YCOE is proud to provide services to students who are deaf or hard of hearing from birth through age 22 as appropriate. The following outlines the mission and vision of our program as well as the age groups we serve. In addition, we have included helpful resources for families and educators at the bottom of this page. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Infant/Toddler: YCOE provides services to Infants and Toddlers who are eligible through the First Steps Infant Program (see information on First Steps). Services for Infants are provided in the child’s natural environment/home and toddlers and their families are invited to participate in Toddler Groups.
Preschool: YCOE provides services through both an itinerant model of instruction in the child’s school/school setting or if a more restrictive model is appropriate, in a special day class model. The special day class program for DHH is located at Plainfield Elementary and operates five days per week at 3 hours per day.
Elementary: YCOE provides services through an itinerant model of instruction in the child’s neighborhood school setting, a special day class model located at Plainfield Elementary School in Woodland, and in a special day class integrated model where students are fully included into a general education classroom as specified in the student’s IEP. Educational interpreters and Para-educators with signing skills are available for each child attending Plainfield Elementary School. These support staff allow student access to the core curriculum in grade-level integration.
Middle School/High School: YCOE provides services through an itinerant model of instruction in the student’s district of residence/school/classroom. Services are provided by a Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing; DHH Para-educator; and Educational Interpreters.

DHH Vision/Mission

DHH Vision

We are a multi-disciplinary team who promote the communication, academic, and social emotional growth of Deaf or Hard of Hearing students while working to ensure equity in access across all educational environments. In partnership with families and other community agencies, we focus on language acquisition and skills that will benefit students during their educational career and in their post-secondary lives. We enthusiastically advocate for necessary support to meet student needs and foster self-advocacy within each student.

We value inclusion with appropriate supports, ongoing professional development for those who work with DHH students, and access to an environment with the use of American Sign Language, technology, visual supports, curriculum adaptation, and collaboration amongst general education teachers, special education teachers, and related service providers.

Our program continually seeks to improve the service we provide to Yolo County students, families, and districts. Several of our 2023 – 2024 initiatives include streamlining our referral process, updating our website to include resources for families, identifying ways to build culture for our students within of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, and growing our Deaf Coach program that brings deaf adults into the lives of our families.

DHH Mission

Our mission is to address the language, social emotional, and academic development of our students to ensure they can engage in learning and academic opportunities at the highest level.

Value Statements for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Program

We value inclusion with appropriate supports, educational communication, and self-advocacy. In addition, we value:

Working with families to develop long-term plans for student outcomes
The total communication approach wherein students learn to communicate by any means possible
The use of evidence-based practices
Ongoing professional development for those who work with DHH students
Providing equal access to the educational environment to the highest extent possible through the use of American Sign Language, technology, visual supports, and curriculum adaptation
Advocating for our students while teaching them to advocate for themselves
Developing and monitoring foundational language acquisition

Video Tutorials