Fontbonne University’s Department of Communication Disorders and Deaf Education has been awarded $1.25 million from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). The grant will prepare graduate students in deaf education and speech-language pathology to serve children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) in inclusive general education settings. Beginning in June 2020, the grant will support 36 master’s students who will ultimately work in northeastern states with critical shortages in special education and deaf education professionals. Fontbonne will integrate learning opportunities between the two degrees, thereby preparing graduates to collaborate as they will in school settings with DHH students learning to listen and talk. “We are thrilled to receive this grant and in turn prepare graduates to serve school-aged children learning alongside their peers in the general education setting,” said Gale B. Rice, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Professor and Dean of Fontbonne’s College of Education and Allied Health Professions. “It is deeply rewarding to know that Fontbonne will have an impact on the lives of so many young students across the country.”
