Consider a career in oral deaf education:

Teach deaf and hard-of-hearing children to listen and talk and open their world.

Language—the ability to communicate with the people around us—is perhaps the defining quality of human beings. It’s so important to our survival (and our joy) that the infant brain is brilliantly designed to master the complexities of language by sheer immersion within just a few years.

For children with a hearing loss, however, language acquisition is more deliberate. Born with the same desire to communicate as all infants, they are eager learners who need a more structured introduction to language and meaning simply because they have less access to the sound around them.

Today, even the most profoundly deaf children can learn to use spoken language to communicate with their families and communities through a combination of well- educated/prepared teachers and sophisticated listening technologies.

Oral deaf education enables children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing to listen and talk.

Watch "Make a Difference" now

"The rewards are SO AMAZING. I LOVE what I do. How many people can say that?" - oral deaf educator

Find a program where I can train professionally to work with oral deaf children.

Several colleges and universities that support oral deaf education have established a variety of fellowships and programs to encourage motivated people to choose careers in oral deaf education. These include:

  • Full fellowships for graduate studies in oral deaf education
  • Financial assistance
  • Distance-learning programs that enable you to study on your own schedule
  • Student teaching opportunities at innovative oral deaf schools

These opportunities are constantly expanding. Take a look at the available programs in the United States:

Download or order more information.

Make a difference is a DVD and brochure that discuss how you can get involved in teaching children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and talk for themselves. Today, even the most profoundly deaf children can learn to use spoken language to communicate with their families and communities through a combination of well-educated/prepared teachers and sophisticated listening technologies. Download or order some of our free materials to learn more about the oral deaf education approach and see whether it’s right for you.

Speak with an expert to learn more about your career options.

Call 1-877-ORALDEAF (toll free) or TTY/FAX 1-877-672-5889 (toll free)

Every child has the right to learn to listen and talk. Oral deaf educators believe that spoken language gives deaf and hard-of-hearing children access to the widest range of friends, schools, jobs and life choices.

Profoundly and severely deaf children can use today’s improved hearing aids and cochlear implants to obtain access to sound. But this is not enough. A deaf or hard-of-hearing child also needs an educator to help him or her learn to make sense of the sounds of language.

Oral deaf education enables deaf and hard-of-hearing children to listen and talk. Oral deaf teachers also educate parents and others in the skills they need to help children learn spoken language.

Visit a local school to see and hear what it’s like.

A growing number of states (more than half at the time of this writing) have initiated mandatory infant screening for hearing loss, with the result that many children are being identified at a very early age. The need for oral deaf educators who can work with these children and their families during the important early years is growing rapidly.

There are thousands of opportunities for oral deaf educators nationwide. Every school district is required to offer special services to educate deaf and hard-of-hearing children. There are also private oral deaf schools across the country.

"Walking into the classroom is when we got our first signs of hope. These kids were talking." - parent of a deaf child