The identification of special competencies of deafness specialists in postsecondary education programs

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the special competencies of deafness specialists in postsecondary education. This was accomplished by an extensive review of related literature and feedback from a panel of content experts. A list of special competencies was identified. This study was also implemented to study any differences in perception of the special competencies according to selected practitioner and programmatic variables, including hearing status, major area of study, program size, andstaff size.A post hoc survey was designed to gather data from a population of 1,103programs for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. A total of 237 responses from a sample of 422 provided an overall response rate of 56% on the Special Competencies ofDeafness Specialists in Postsecondary Education Settings Inventory that was distributed via the U. S. Postal Service. The Special Competencies of Deafness Specialists inPostsecondary Education Settings Inventory consisted of the competency listing and rating scale and a background segment for gathering demographic, programmatic, and institutional information.Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to reportdemographic, programmatic, and institutional information. The analysis of the survey items included a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) procedure to determine any areas of significant difference among the competency clusters in the three competency domains (Direct Services to Students, Knowledge and Background, andVIProgram Management) and four independent variables (hearing status, major area of study, program size, and staff size).Major findings of the study were: (a) as program size grew, respondents valued the need for effective communication skills more, (b) respondents with specific training in the field of deafness recognized the ramifications of deafness and impact on the student in a post secondary setting and valued the need to participate in ongoing professional development and share information with others, (c) when there were several staff members designated to work specifically with students who are deaf or hard-of hearing,more emphasis was placed on having a better understanding of the social,cultural, and educational implications that hearing loss may have on a postsecondary student, (d) when there was at least one staff member designated to work specifically with students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, more emphasis was placed on maintaining up-to-date knowledge about issues and strategies and on sharing information with faculty and staff who may have worked with students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and (e)when there was at least one staff member designated to work specifically with students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, more emphasis was placed on disseminating programinformation to students and on conducting outreach activities.