[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-580603-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-580603-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","odyssey-choosing-a-school-for-the-deaf-when-a-language-rich-environment-is-the-lre","ODYSSEY - Choosing a School for the Deaf - When a Language-Rich Environment is the LRE","","Guide for military families raising deaf or hard of hearing children on selecting a school where a language-rich environment supports learning. Explains challenges created by frequent moves, deployments, and reassignment of medical and educational services, including requirements around the Exceptional Family Member Program and the IEP. Highlights Hands & Voices’ Military Project and Advocacy, Support, and Training, and connects the legal “least restrictive environment” to language access. Includes a personal story about building supports and choosing ASL.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/odyssey-choosing-a-school-for-the-deaf-when-a-language-rich-environment-is-the-lre/580603/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/odyssey-choosing-a-school-for-the-deaf-when-a-language-rich-environment-is-the-lre/580603.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Miles","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-25","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":26},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"Why is choosing a language-rich school environment especially difficult for military families?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"Military families face frequent moves, geographic separation, and deployment requirements, which disrupt medical and educational contacts and add pressure to complete the IEP each time. These repeated transitions make consistent support harder to maintain.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What is the connection between LRE and a language-rich environment?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"LRE describes where and how a child receives education. The authors advise parents to think beyond “least restrictive” and also focus on whether the setting provides rich language access for the child.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"How does Hands & Voices support military families in the IEP process?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"The Military Project connects families with each other and provides information about insurance, audiology services, sign language support, and educational programs. It also links families to the ASTra program for knowledge and confidence to work through their child’s IEP.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},580603,1792920122,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":106,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":123},13056703019404,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Chelsea Hull, MA, BEI, an active duty spouse, is co-founder of the Hands & Voices Military Project. She is Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI)-certified for interpreting, as well as ASTra (Hands & Voices Advocacy, Support, and Training™) trained and certified. For 25 years, she has helped teach deaf and hard of hearing children, working as a teacher of the deaf, an American Sign Language interpreter, and an educational advocate. Hull’s mother identified as deaf and inspired Hull’s career in deaf education.  \nConnely Leis is an active duty Air Force spouse and a mother of three children. Her eldest, 8-year-old Tenley, is deaf; 7-year-old Cohen and 4-year-old Palmer are hearing. Their family is currently stationed in Baltimore, Maryland.  \nThe authors welcome questions and comments about this article at chelseasbusyhands@gmail. com and connelyleis@gmail. com, respectively. If you are a military family seeking Individualized Education Program support, you can contact the ASTra program at [www.handsand](www.handsand) [voices.org/](voices.org/)[ ](voices.org/)[astra/index.html](astra/index.html.)[.](astra/index.html.)  \nODYSSEY  \nChoosing a School for the Deaf  \nWhen a Language-Rich Environment is the LRE  \nBy Chelsea Hull and Connely Leis  \n“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”  \n~ Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian philosopher  \nAll parents of deaf or hard of hearing children face challenges as they strive to provide an environment rich in language for their child. For parents on active duty in the military, however, perhaps this challenge is most acute. Faced with decisions about their child’s medical or educational needs, military families must act despite geographic separations, deployment requirements, and frequent moves. These families—required to enroll in the Exceptional Family Member Program—must also learn how to re-establish the child’s medical and educational contacts each time they are reassigned and, on top ofall this, there is still the Individualized Education Program (IEP) to be completed!  \nHands & Voices, the parent advocacy and support organization, has a Military Project that offers information and support to families in the military. The Military Project connects parents—who move an average of every two to three years—with each other to find answers to questions related to insurance, audiology services, sign language support, and educational programs. It also connects families to the Hands & Voices Advocacy, Support, and Training program, which equips parents with the knowledge and confidence they need to work through their child’s IEP.  \nPhotos courtesy of Chelsea Hull and Connely Leis  \n2024  \nAbove: Hull’s journey of becoming a military wife and raising two children with autism, in addition to her upbringing as a CODA [child of a deaf adult], has inspired her to support military families within the Hands & Voices network.  \nAbove right: The Leis family checks out a carnival hosted by ASD (2018). Right: Tenley’s first day of preschool at age 2 (2017).  \nChelsea Hull, cofounder of the Military Project, educational advocate, and one of the co-authors of this article, frequently discusses what the law calls “the least restrictive environment”(LRE) with parents. The LRE translates to where and how a child receives their education. Does the child belong in a public school classroom with hearing students? With an interpreter? With a special education teacher? In a special program? In a school for the deaf? When this difficult topic comes up, Hull tells parents to value conversations with other parents as much as conversations with professionals. Further, and perhaps most importantly, she advises parents to think of LRE not only as the least restrictive environment but also as the language-rich environment.  \nFor one military family, the search for a language-rich environment was an  \n… perhaps most importantly,[Hull] advises parents to think of LRE not only as the least restrictive environmen","cbCaifwZALhOhyVZ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifwZALhOhyVZ","pdf",477599,"English","# ODYSSEY\n## Choosing a School for the Deaf\n## When a Language-Rich Environment is the LRE\n## Tenley’s Story","[{\"question\":\"Why is choosing a language-rich school environment especially difficult for military families?\",\"answer\":\"Military families face frequent moves, geographic separation, and deployment requirements, which disrupt medical and educational contacts and add pressure to complete the IEP each time. These repeated transitions make consistent support harder to maintain.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the connection between LRE and a language-rich environment?\",\"answer\":\"LRE describes where and how a child receives education. The authors advise parents to think beyond “least restrictive” and also focus on whether the setting provides rich language access for the child.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Hands \\u0026 Voices support military families in the IEP process?\",\"answer\":\"The Military Project connects families with each other and provides information about insurance, audiology services, sign language support, and educational programs. It also links families to the ASTra program for knowledge and confidence to work through their child’s IEP.\"}]","ODYSSEY - Choosing a School for the Deaf - When a Language-Rich Environment is the LRE | PDF",1792037932]