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Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education program is a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma offered to qualified Canadian teachers. While open mainly to Ontario teachers, the program offers a limited number of spaces in an online format to non-Ontario residents who are qualified to teach in their own provinces.

The program, which is the only one of its kind in Ontario and one of few across Canada, prepares qualified teachers to work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing in a variety of educational programs and across the full range of communication/modality options. The program is offered on a full-time (residents of Ontario) or part-time (residents of Ontario & non-Ontario residents) basis in a combination of face-to-face and online formats.

The program is delivered by both faculty and practitioners in the field.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education program
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Overview

Graduates earn a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma from York University, and graduates from our Ontario program who are certified by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) are recommended for the Additional Qualification (AQ), “Teaching Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing”,  with a specialization in either American Sign Language (ASL) Communication or Oral/Aural Communication. The program is accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers and by the Canadian Association of Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CAEDHH). Graduates of the program may have the qualifications to teach outside of Ontario, nationally or internationally, as teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing. It is each individual's responsibility to check with jurisdictions outside of Ontario to confirm if the program is recognized for employment, as determined by each educational jurisdiction.

Please note: Courses are only offered as part of this post-baccalaureate diploma program. Applicants must be prepared to complete the entire program within the timeframe (e.g., one year for the full-time program and three years for the part-time program). Proposals for substitutions and transfer credits will not be considered.

Please be advised that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Teacher Education Program in the Faculty of Education is intended to be delivered on campus and school placements can only be completed at school boards. Although mandated restrictions resulting from covid-19 have required classes to run online in the 2020-21 academic year, students should be prepared to commute to campus for in-person classes and to complete in-person placements in school Boards when classes resume on campus. It is an expectation that students attend all classes in their scheduled format (whether online, blended or in-person) and complete their school placements where they are assigned in order to complete the Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing post-baccalaureate diploma requirements.   

Program Details

Full-time Program
(Residents of Ontario)

The full-time program is offered in one academic year, over two semesters, beginning in August and finishing in April.

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Part-time Program
(Residents of Ontario)

The part-time program is a three-year program beginning in August and finishing in April of each year.

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Part-time Program
(Non-Ontario residents)

This program offers a limited number of additional spaces to Canadian applicants from outside Ontario.

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Courses

Program course work consists of a core set of comprehensive courses, totaling 27.00 credits, and three specialization courses, totaling 9.00 credits. Courses designated as 6.00 are 72-hour courses; those designated as 3.00 are 36-hour courses.

All course work deals with areas pertinent to deaf and hard of hearing education. These areas include: language and literacy development; oral communication; deaf and hard of hearing studies; bilingual/bicultural education; American Sign Language; audiology; listening and speaking; hearing technologies; and working with deaf and hard of hearing learners in inclusive settings. Students must also complete practicum placements.

Core courses

  • Language, Literacy and Development 1 (6.00)
  • Language and Literacy Development 2 (6.00)
  • Educational Audiology (6.00)
  • Educational Use of Signed Language (3.00)
  • Deaf Studies - An Introduction (3.00)
  • Teaching and Learning Seminar (3.00)
  • Practicum (includes two four-week practica, totaling 400 hours of teaching)

Specialization courses

Students are required to choose an area of specialization after completing most of the core prerequisite courses. Students choose either the ASL Communication Stream or the Oral/Aural Communication Stream and complete the appropriate three courses assigned to the area of specialization. Students do not need to choose a specialization prior to program entry.

To enrol in the ASL stream, students must have the ability to teach with ASL as the language of instruction. An assessment of ASL skills is arranged by the program for students who express interest in the ASL stream.

Specialization courses for the Oral/Aural Communication stream are:

  • Listening and Speaking for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learners (3.00)
  • Teaching Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learners in Inclusive Settings (3.00)
  • Classroom Amplification (3.00)

Specialization courses for the ASL Communication stream are:

  • ASL Deaf Studies-Culture and Community (3.00)
  • American Sign Language - Linguistics (3.00)
  • Bilingual Bicultural Education (3.00)

Frequently Asked Questions

Deaf Education Graduates

For all inquiries regarding your diploma, please contact the Registrar’s Office at York University.

The D/HH Program cannot provide transcripts or grades.  To get a transcript, please contact the Registrar’s Office at York University.

It can take approximately four to six weeks for your recommendation to be processed by the Ontario College of Teachers and before you will be able to see it on your record.  Please note that this timeline is an estimate only.

You do not need to contact the Ontario College of Teachers for this purpose.  York University will submit your recommendation of successful completion of the D/HH Program to the Ontario College of Teachers.

Deaf Education Program

The full-time program runs for one academic year. Classes start the end of August, and the program finishes at the end of April. There is a two-week break at Christmas, and there are no classes during March Break. Fall term courses run until approximately the 3rd week of November, followed by a 4-week teaching practicum. Winter term courses run until the end of March, followed by a second 4-week teaching practicum.

Classes are generally scheduled for Monday through Thursday. However, there are a number of field trips, observations, guest lectures, etc. scheduled on many Fridays, so Teacher Candidates need to be available full-time.

There may be some classes which are online; however, the majority of the classes for full-time Teacher Candidates take place on campus, and you are expected to attend all scheduled classes.

The Ontario College of Teachers has mandated that graduates of the program be certified in either the Oral/Aural stream, or the ASL stream. This will be identified on your diploma from York University, and on your Teacher Record Card from the OCT. Your stream is intended to highlight a particular skill set, but does not necessarily limit where you can be hired. You will be selecting a stream midway through the fall term and will register for the three courses associated with that stream.

If you are interested in taking the ASL stream, you will need to demonstrate a level of ASL proficiency sufficient to teach in that language. Teacher Candidates interested in this stream will be required to take the ASL Proficiency Interview (ASLPI), and will need to obtain at least a rating of 3 on that scale. This assessment is arranged by the Program to be done via FUZE and there are no costs associated with it for participants.

Yes, you can take up to a maximum of five years to complete the D/HH Program.

The part-time program is a three-year program.  The program cannot be completed in less than three-years due to the sequence of the courses and their prerequisites, and the requirement that courses be completed prior to practicum placements.

You cannot take the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program while taking your BEd course.  Students enrolled in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Education Program are required to be current members in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers or other Provincial/Territorial Teacher Licensing Organization.

To enroll in the ASL stream, you must have the ability to teach with ASL as the language of instruction. An assessment of ASL skills is arranged by the program for Teacher Candidates who express interest in the ASL stream.

Yes, you can still apply to the program. You may be offered a conditional acceptance with your six-digit Ontario College of Teacher Registration number or proof of application to the appropriate Provincial/Territorial Teacher Licensing Organization.

Teacher Candidates must provide documentation to show that they are a member of the Ontario College of Teachers with no limitations and/or restrictions prior to the program start date.

Teacher Candidates living outside of Ontario are required to provide documentation to show that they are a member in good standing with no limitations and/or restrictions with the Provincial/Territorial licensing body from the current Province/Territory with which they are registered to teach prior to the program start date.

The following will be accepted as proof of completion:

  • Certificate from the program
  • Transcripts
  • Letter of Completion on the institution/organization letterhead.

York University offers ASL courses, but applicants may complete their courses from any recognized college/university or community organization.

No; you do not have to complete both ASL Courses before applying to the program.  You must be in the process of completing your ASL courses and if accepted into the D/HH program, the offer will be conditional on the prerequisite being met.

Other fees may consist of,  but are not limited to the following:

  • Textbooks/materials for courses
  • Expenses in relation to practicum placement
  • Field Trips

Yes; applicants must meet all of the prerequisites or be in the process of meeting prerequisites.

We are not able to accept applicants who do not meet the prerequisites of the program.  Please refer to the Admission Requirements.

Questions?

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact:

deafed@edu.yorku.ca

How to Apply