Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

A teacher and young student signing to communicateIn August 2019, two pieces of New Jersey legislation were signed for the purpose of supporting children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The New Jersey Deaf Student’s Bill of Rights, which is a statement of responsibility to school districts on meeting the needs of students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing ages three to twenty-one (3 to 21), and the Working Group on Deaf Education focused on the early linguistic development of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The legislation recognizes that children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing are a heterogenous group with unique and varied needs requiring a continuum of educational programs and services. In addition to the NJDOE offering individualized technical assistance at the program and student levels, the following resources are intended to provide information regarding a wide range of considerations, from early language and mode of communication decisions to educational programming through transition to adult life.

Please note that the links provided are suggestions for resources and do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the New Jersey Department of Education of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individuals.

Communication Options

The decision on how to provide language access for your child is a difficult one. Parents are encouraged to thoroughly research the various options and consult with a variety of experts, including the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Depending on how your child’s language and literacy development progresses, this decision might need to be revisited. Follow the link for more information regarding the communication options listed below.

  • American Sign Language
  • Conceptually Accurate Coded English (CASE)
  • Cued Speech
  • Listening and Spoken Language
  • Manually Coded English (MCE)
  • Total Communication Philosophy

Additional Family Resources

Visit the OSE's Parental Rights and Engagement webpage to access the following resources.

  • NJ Statewide Parent to Parent (NJP2P)
  • NJ Department of Education Families Portal
  • State Parent Advisory Network (SPAN)
  • Disability Rights New Jersey

See below for the New Jersey Deaf Students Bill or Rights (11 languages) and the New Jersey Parent Resource Guide (11 languages).

New Jersey Deaf Student’s Bill of Rights Brochures

  • Arabicالطفل الأصم شرعة حقوق
  • Bengali িনউ জািসর্ বিধর িশ􀀁াথ􀀂র অিধকােরর সনদ
  • Chinese (simplified) — 新泽西州 失聪学生权利法案
  • English — New Jersey Deaf Student’s Bill of Rights brochure
  • Gujaratiધ ન્યૂ જર્સી ડેફ સ્ટુડન્ટ્સ બિલ ઑફ રાઈટ્સ (બહેરા વિદ્યાર્થીઓના અધિકારોનું વિયેધક)
  • Haitian CreoleDeklarasyon Dwa Elèv ki Soud New Jersey
  • Hindiन्यू जर्सी बधिर छात्र के अधिकारों का विधेयक
  • Korean뉴저지 청각 장애 학생의 권리 장전
  • Portuguese/BrazilianDeclaração de Direitos de Alunos Surdos de Nova Jersey
  • SpanishDeclaración de derechos de los estudiantes sordos
  • Urduی ڈیف اسڻوڈنٹ بل آف رائڻس

NJ Parent Resource Guide for Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

  • Arabicدليل نيو جيرسي لموارد الوالدين لألطفال الصم أو ضعاف السمع ل
  • Bengali নিউ জার্সিতে বধির বা কম শ্রবণশক্তিসম্পন্ন শিশুদের জন্য প্যারেন্ট রিসোর্সগাইড
  • Chinese (simplified) — 新泽西州 失聪或听障儿童 家长资源指南
  • English — New Jersey Parent Resource Guide for Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (fillable) (printable)
  • Gujaratiબહેરા અથવા સાંભળવામાં તકલીફ હોય તેવા બાળકો માટે ધ ન્યુ જર્સી પૅરન્ટ રીસોર્સ ગાઇડ
  • Haitian CreoleGid Resous pou Paran nan New Jersey pou Timoun ki Soud oswa ki Mal pou Tande
  • Hindi द न्यू जर्सी की अभिभावक संसाधन गाइड उन बच्चों के लिए जो बधिर हैं या जिन्हें ऊँ चा सुनाई देता है जन्म से लेकर पाँच साल की उम्र तक
  • Korean청각 장애 또는 난청인 자녀를 둔 뉴저지주 학부모 리소스 안내서
  • Portuguese/BrazilianGuia de Recursos para os Pais de Nova Jersey, para crianças surdas ou com deficiência auditiva
  • SpanishGuía de recursos para padres de niños sordos o con problemas de audición de Nueva Jersey
  • Urduنیو جرسی پیرنٹ ریسورس گائیڈ ان بچوں کے کے لئے ہے جو بہرے ہیں اور اونچا سنتے ہیں