Federal Eligibility Definition & Criteria
The federal law sets guidelines for eligibility and labeling. The federal law that does this is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Heward, 2009). The IDEA defines hearing impairment as “an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s education performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness.” (P.L. 108-446, 20 U.S.C. 1401 (2004)m 20 C.f.R. 300.8(c)(5).
In order to understand this definition, it would be helpful to know the definition of deafness under the IDEA. Deafness is defined as “a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification,that adversely affects a child’s educational performance (P.L. 108-446, 20 U.S.C. 1401 (2004)m 20 C.f.R. 300.8(c)(3).
Illinois Eligibility Definition & Criteria
According to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website, Hearing Impairments means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness. ISBE defines deafness as a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child's educational performance (ISBE, 2014).
The federal law sets guidelines for eligibility and labeling. The federal law that does this is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Heward, 2009). The IDEA defines hearing impairment as “an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s education performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness.” (P.L. 108-446, 20 U.S.C. 1401 (2004)m 20 C.f.R. 300.8(c)(5).
In order to understand this definition, it would be helpful to know the definition of deafness under the IDEA. Deafness is defined as “a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification,that adversely affects a child’s educational performance (P.L. 108-446, 20 U.S.C. 1401 (2004)m 20 C.f.R. 300.8(c)(3).
Illinois Eligibility Definition & Criteria
According to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website, Hearing Impairments means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness. ISBE defines deafness as a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child's educational performance (ISBE, 2014).