As with all placements discussed in the methods and placements section of this guide, there are variations in mainstreaming options that depend on the individual needs and circumstances of the child.

Mainstreaming Options: here are some of the options that you may find in mainstream programs. This is not a list of all possible options.

• Student placed in regular classroom with hearing children, no addtional support. This option tends to be for children with a mild hearing loss. They may use assistive devices such as hearing aids and FM systems.
• Student placed in regular classroom with hearing children, resource support services (may include some or all): speech and language therapy, itinerant teacher services, adaptive physical education, etc.

Student placed in regular classroom with an educational interpreter. The interpreter's role is to give communication access to the student.

Educational Interpreting/Interpreters:

Educational Interpreters provide communication access for the deaf child in the classroom. Many states do not have any certification process for educational interpreting. It is very difficult to find good educational interpreters. In many cases, the interpreter ends up doing much of the teaching. Many teachers are unfamiliar with how to use and work with an educational interpreter. An educational interpreter may end up having multiple roles in the classroom as teacher, tutor, interpreter, and aide. Sign language interpreters are the language models for deaf children in the classroom. For this reason, it is essential that the interpreter be skilled and not equal to or below the signing level of the child in order for the child to develop their language/communication skills.

Issues surrounding educational interpreters:

• Types of interpreting.
• oral interpreting
• manual interpreting
• simultaneous interpreting
• reverse interpreting/voice interpreting
• Skill of the Interpreter
• Role of the Interpreter