Determining special education services provided to hearning impaired students attending mainstream classes and their teachers

The aim of this descriptive study is to determine special education services provided for hearing impaired primary school students attending mainstream classes in Eskisehir city center in 2006-2007 educational year and their teachers of these students.The participants of the study were 24 hearing impaired students attending seventeen different primary school mainstreamed classrooms and the teachers who were teaching each one of the classroom.The ?Student Information Forms? were filled out by utilizing the information about the students? personal information, their placement process to the mainstreamed settings, the education services provided for them and their educational backgrounds placed in the students? personal files in their school and Guidance and Research Center. ?The Teacher Interview Forms? were used to collect the personal information about the teachers and students and the situations of special education services provided for them. In addition, information about the students and their parents and supportive services provided for them from out of the mainstreamed classrooms were collected through the use of ?Family Interview Form?.It has been found out that regulations stated in Special Education Service Regulation (2006) have not been carried out within the process of placing 24 hearing impaired students in mainstream applications; and, the students who have been diagnosed still continue their education at the same school. At most of 17 schools involving mainstream applications, Individualized Education Curriculums (IEP) have not been prepared for students due to the fact that an Individualized Education Curriculum Developing Team has not been formed in order to prepare the curriculum; Furthermore, it has been determined that the immediate curriculums lack important points and the teams have not been assisted by supporting services while developing the curriculum. It has been determined that most of the classroom teachers following mainstream application were the graduates of teaching programs of various colleges and institutes; however, nine of the teachers did not have any teaching certificates. It was also found that most of the teachers did not attend to any lessons related to hearing impaired children and their education during their undergraduate programs. It has been found that supportive services were not provided to hearing impaired students in the school, and supportive services from outside the school were limited with services provided by the rehabilitation centers. The teachers reported that although they were in need for teaching hearing impaired students in the mainstreamed classrooms, they did not receive the necessary support services.