Deaf and hard-of-hearing IEP accommodations that replace what the ear misses
A student who is deaf or hard of hearing needs an interpreter or captioning, sound streamed into their hearing device, visual alerts, captioned video, a seat with a clear sightline, and notes for what the room missed. Hearing loss takes away a channel rather than a capacity, so each support carries what reaches the ear late or broken to the eyes or the device instead. You can check your own IEP against this list today: open its accommodations page and ask, line by line, whether it says where, how often and by whom.
By The Advocate Ally, checked against the rules it cites. Sources checked September 17, 2026.
The accommodations, line by line
Interpreter or CART captioning
Classroom
An interpreter signs or a captioner types spoken words in real time, so lectures and announcements reach your child as they happen.
IEP wording
State who provides it and when: “a qualified interpreter or CART captioner present for instruction, discussion, assemblies and announcements, scheduled before the term starts.” 34 CFR 300.34(c)(4)
Check
Ask the front office for the interpreter or captioner’s schedule and compare it with missed days your child reports.
Sound streamed straight into the hearing aid
Classroom
The teacher’s voice streams by Bluetooth into your child’s hearing aid or cochlear implant instead of crossing the room as open sound.
IEP wording
Pair the transmitter to the device your child wears: “a Bluetooth-compatible transmitter paired to the student’s hearing aid or cochlear implant, tested by the audiologist each term.” 34 CFR 300.105(a)
Check
Ask the audiologist for the pairing and battery test log rather than relying on your child’s report.
Visual alerts for alarms and announcements
Classroom
Strobe lights flash and a screen prints the words when the fire alarm sounds or the office makes an announcement over the intercom.
IEP wording
Fix where the alert shows and who tests it: “a visual strobe alarm and a text display of intercom announcements in every room the student uses, tested by facilities.” 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)(ii)
Check
Walk the building with your child and note any room without a working strobe or display before the next fire drill.
Captioned video and instructional media
Classroom
Every video the class watches plays with captions on, so your child reads the dialogue instead of guessing from the picture.
IEP wording
Set the format and who checks it before class: “closed captions turned on for every video, slideshow audio and recorded lesson, verified by the teacher.” 34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)(ii)
Check
Preview two upcoming lesson videos in the portal and confirm captions play without a click from your child.
A seat with a clear sightline
Classroom
Your child’s desk faces the teacher, interpreter and board together, with no light behind the speaker washing out the face.
IEP wording
Name the seat and the light: “a front-row seat facing the teacher, interpreter and board, with windows and lights arranged so no face is backlit.” 34 CFR 300.320(a)(7)
Check
Sit in that seat at a school visit and check that the interpreter’s face and the board are readable without turning.
Notes for what the room missed
Classroom
A classmate or the teacher shares written notes after any discussion your child could not follow by ear.
IEP wording
Put a name and a deadline on it: “typed notes or slides from every missed class discussion, delivered to the student before the related homework is assigned.” 34 CFR 300.42
Check
Check the class email or portal folder for notes from the last two discussions your child mentioned missing.
What the rule says
“A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services … to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child”
Written under this rule, the interpreter’s hours, the transmitter and the captions land on the school’s schedule before the first bell rings.
If it is written but not happening
Keep a dated list for the case manager of days the interpreter, captions or hearing technology failed and who you notified.
Ask for a meeting to name a backup plan for equipment failure and the record that shows when it was used.
Each of your child’s teachers has to be told the specific accommodations the IEP requires (34 CFR 300.323(d)(2)); a refusal to fix a gap owes you prior written notice (34 CFR 300.503).
A list is a starting point: it does not replace an evaluation of your child, or advice from someone qualified to read your file.
Have the accommodations in your IEP read back to you, free.
The review reads every page you upload, names the accommodation wording that is vague or missing, and gives you its page number.
