College and Career Recourses for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

WELCOME TO CAROLYN COPPS' HOMEPAGE

I. Carolyn Copps' Background

II. Index Category:

a. What is Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH)?

b. American Disabilities Act (ADA), Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Individual with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA)

c. Elementary and Middle School Career and College Planning Information (including life, study, and social skills)

d. High School Career and College Planning Information (including class requirements, help with getting into college

e. General Financial Aid, Scholarship, SSI, Student Loans

f. Test Preparation (including test dates)

g. Resources for Career Quizzes and Skill Assessments

h. Job Search Preparation

i. Life Skills (communication and workforce skills)

j. Counselor Resources (career counselor resources and stress, conflict, and self help)

k. Parents Resources (i.e. communications, budgets)

The reason I am creating my website was for my College and Career Guidance Class project at CSUN (California State University, Northridge). While I was working on it, I saw that it was very fun and it has become a project that I really enjoyed and felt this was important for D/HH students to succeed and be aware of many vital things that help them to prepare for what is out there in the real world.

My background

My name is Carolyn Copps. I was born and raised for part of my life in Wisconsin where I was adopted when I was three weeks old. I was born with a moderately severe hearing impairment and as a result, was introduced to the advantages and disadvantages of special education. At the age of three, I began my educational career within a hearing impaired classroom in Wisconsin. At the age four, I entered a regular education with IEP (Individualized Education Program) until I my mother and I moved from Wisconsin to Arizona due to my parents' divorce. It was in Arizona and during high school that I learned about the Deaf world. Sign language was secondary to my education until high school when I became more proficient with it through my interpreter. It was here also that I became more aware of the two worlds, which exist out there for DHH individuals. I am now very proficient in ASL and it is my second language, sometimes my first language. In fact, because of my hearing loss and I find myself thinking in ASL too. I went to the University of Arizona and graduated with my bachelors in Psychology and double minors in Special Education and Rehabilitation (SPED) and Family Studies. I am currently working in obtaining my masters degree in School Counseling at the California State University, Northridge in Southern California. I will be graduating in June 2004. I am a school counselor intern at Granada Hills Charter High School for DHH students. I am also working on my master�s thesis related to DHH students in public high school. I am currently working on my thesis for my masters program at California State University, Northridge with the goal of completing it by May of 2004.

What is Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH)?

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) Americans make up more than 10% of the population in the United States. DHH can range from those that are profoundly deaf to those that have lost a considerable amount of hearing, yet can still hear sounds, music and noises. Many HH Americans wear hearing aids to help hear sounds better. Also, it is a myth that many Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people can talk, the number is closer to 5% that can actually speak, many make noises that resemble words.

DHH Americans communicate with American Sign Language (ASL), which has come to be the third most used languages in the United States with many high schools and colleges recognizing ASL as meeting a foreign language requirement. There is no universal sign language, so each country has its own form of sign language.

The Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing also have their own culture and many DHH meet together throughout the year at many social events. The PAX network recently aired a new show called "Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye" the true story of Sue Thomas a profoundly deaf woman from the age of 18 months who works surveillance-reading lips for the FBI. The show has become an instant hit becoming PAX's number one rated show.

American Disabilities Act (ADA), Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA)

Americans with Disabilities Act

IDEA Practices

Center for Law and Education

Resources for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing - Four Regional Postsecondary Education Centers for Individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing were created to ensure that every postsecondary institution in the United States could easily access the technical assistance and outreach services that the Centers provide.

Elementary and Middle School Career and College Planning Information

Getting Ready for College Early

PREPARING MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR A CAREER

High School Career and College Planning Information

So, you are thinking about college!!

Choosing the Right Program

College Planning

California Colleges

To look for specific colleges (Program Descriptions)

Gallaudet University

RIT/NTID

STUDY SKILLS