Education of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students occurs in diverse and continually changing contexts - social, cultural, political and scientific. In order to be responsive and flexible practitioners, teachers need to be aware of how these contexts have developed and continue to influence their professional practice.

This course provides students with a broad context for professional practice in deaf education. It will introduce students to the historical background, current settings and approaches used in deaf education. Socio-cultural contexts of deaf people's lives will be explored, including the role of spoken and signed languages and identity and social-emotional development. Family contexts and approaches to working with families of D/HH children will be introduced.

RIDBC Renwick Centre administers this course. Before enrolling in this course, review the RIDBC Renwick Centre Student Handbook at http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/courses/current.php . Completion of this course requires attendance at a compulsory campus conference. Dates and venues of campus conferences are available in the RIDBC Renwick Centre Timetable located at http://www.ridbc.org.au/renwick/courses/current.php .