Culturally Competent Practices: Understanding the Deaf Experience

In this course, participants will gain valuable insights into fostering effective communication with Deaf students and their families. Through lecture, reflection activities, and examples, participants will explore implementing diverse communication strategies, building trust with Deaf students and their families, and creating inclusive environments that celebrate Deaf culture.

Instructors: Louise Sattler

Louise Sattler, NCSP, School Psychologist

Louise received her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and her graduate degree in psychology and bilingual/multicultural education and Deaf education from Penn State. Louise has created many programs and products to help people who live, love, and work with people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. She has trained thousands of first responders on helping people with special needs during disasters and/or medical emergencies.

• Financial Disclosures: Louise has been a contracted school psychologist with Presence for over 3 years and received compensation from Presence for the development of this course. She is the founder of Signing Families™, an instructional and training company specializing in helping first responders to assist people who are Deaf.
• Non-Financial Disclosures: Louise has appeared on many media networks (print, online, and television- including Forbes, USA TODAY, etc.). Her spouse has a hearing loss and she has many Deaf friends. 

Target Audience: Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Adaptive Physical Education Specialists, Speech-language Pathologists,  School Psychologists, Mental Health Counselors, Educational Diagnosticians

Education Level: Introductory

Time Ordered Agenda: 

1. Course Introduction (5 minutes) 

   • Course Description and Objectives

   • Instructor Biography and Disclosures 

2. Classifying Hearing Loss (15 minutes)

   • Classifications of Hearing Loss

   • Deaf vs. deaf

3. Deaf Culture (30 minutes)

   • An Introduction to Deaf Culture

   • Deaf Culture & Deaf Pride

   • Deaf Culture & Language

   • Deaf Culture & Education 

4. Impacts on Your Clinical Practice (30 minutes)

   • Strategies for Working with Deaf Students and Their Families

   • Signs All Clinicians Should Know

5. Course Completion & Next Steps (10 minutes) 

   • Wrap-Up and Conclusion

   • Course References & Next Steps

Contact Hours: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cancellation Policy: 

Continuing education courses are offered at no cost to contracted and employed Presence providers. In the event a course is canceled, the participants will have the option to attend a rescheduled event offered within 60 days of the canceled course.

Please note: Registered participants who register for live courses but do not attend or cancel with less than 24-hours' notice may have future course registration restricted after three documented incidents.

Accessibility Policy: 

Our courses are intended to be accessible by addressing the needs of not only people with mobility impairments, but also those with sensory impairments (i.e., hearing, speech, vision), and emotional or learning disabilities. Available accommodations include but are not limited to Closed Captioning, color contrast, transcription of auditory and visual information, as well as adjustable font sizes. Please contact asksupport@presence.com to request additional accommodations.

Complaint Policy:

Any course concerns should be directed to asksupport@presence.com within two weeks of course completion.

Completion Requirements: 

To earn a course certificate, participants are required to complete the course, pass a quiz with 80% accuracy, (3 attempts are allowed), and complete a course feedback survey.

Please download your certificate upon completion of the course.