Megan Hicks Email Address

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Teacher

The San Diego Unified School District is committed to providing young children and eligible students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education consistent with federal and state laws. These laws require the district to identify, locate and assess all students within the district from birth to 21 years of age who may have disabilities, and then provide appropriate programs and/or related services to those eligible. These services are provided based on the individual needs of the student and the recommendation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team, a legal document that describes how SDUSD provides services to students with exceptional needs. Programs and services are provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which was signed into law in 1997. Legislation was signed in November 2004 reauthorizing it as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. The delivery of special education services and programs in the San Diego Unified School District is described in the district's Local Plan for Special Education .

Currently I am a student teacher in a preschool classroom with Deaf/HH students. I recently finished 6 months of student teaching in a Deaf/HH classroom with both kindergarten and 1st grade students. I am a graduate student at UCSD getting my MA in ASL/English Bilingual Education as well as my multiple-subject elementary teaching credential. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Brown's Town on the North coast of Jamaica. I worked at St. Christopher's School for the Deaf, which has students from ages 3-13. I helped establish a much needed library, and some have come to think of me as the librarian. I used to have each class come to the library one a week for literacy related activities and the opportunity to check out books. In addition to library related activities, I also implemented Junior Achievement at St. Christopher's. This is the first time the program has been used at a Deaf school, so I am working with Junior Achievement and Global Deaf Connection in their project to create a more Deaf friendly version of the curriculum. I also taught sign language classes to members of the ancillary staff, as well as community members. Previous to moving to Jamaica, I was a freelance ASL/English Interpreter working in higher education settings in both the San Francisco Bay Area and South Lake Tahoe. Specialties: American Sign Language, Jamaican Sign Language