Deaf and hard of hearing teachers are very important to the educational experiences of
deaf and hard of hearing children and must be available to all deaf and hard of hearing students;
WHEREAS:
Many states require teacher competency tests as a "gatekeeper" for teacher licensure;
WHEREAS:
Many deaf teacher candidates fail these teacher licensure examinations and are thus
denied access to certification, licensure, and employment;
BE IT RESOLVED:
That we endorse and support the efforts of the National Task Force on Equity in
Testing Deaf Professionals, and other such efforts which seek to ensure equity for deaf test takers and
the removal of barriers, so that otherwise qualified deaf individuals may become teachers;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That we support these efforts to:
seek agreements with state agencies NOT to use licensure examinations as a SOLE criterion for
licensure, certification, or employment for prospective teachers who are deaf or hard of hearing;
work to revise existing examinations to insure equity;
require reasonable accommodations for deaf test takers;
seek funding and conduct research to ensure test validity and to establish alternative measures of
teachers' competencies.
