ISU to offer new license program for deaf education

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Starting January 2020, Indiana State University will offer a new teacher licensure program to train educators to work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The Indiana State Board of Education approved the Deaf/Hard of Hearing program on Wednesday, the Tribune-Star reported, and will be offered through the university's Blumberg Center, part of the Bayh College of Education.

According to the Council for Education of the Deaf, there is a national crisis in deaf education due to a significant shortage of qualified teachers.

“The shortage of teachers available to meet the needs of the deaf/hard of hearing is critical,” said Carol Wetherell, director of the Blumberg Center. “We're anxious to get more people on board.”

The program will be a seven-course program to be completed over the course of two years. It will be offered through distance education, with some face-to-face instruction.