Regional Day School Programs for the Deaf (RDSPD) in Texas were instituted by the Texas Education Agency to provide quality services to all students in Texas who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). Due to the low incidence of hearing loss, students may come from several districts to a centralized school location for educational services, or be served by teachers who are certified to work with students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing on their home campuses. The Brazoria-Fort Bend RDSPD is established as a shared service arrangement between eleven (11) neighboring school districts within southwest Harris, Fort Bend, and Brazoria counties. The member school districts are Alief, Angleton, Brazosport, Columbia-Brazoria, Damon, Danbury, Fort Bend, Lamar Consolidated, Needville, Stafford Municipal, and Sweeny.

Fort Bend ISD is the fiscal agent for the Brazoria-Fort Bend RDSPD.

The RDSPD provides instructional services designed to meet the individual needs of all students at all ages and grade levels in a variety of ways: a parent-infant program, site-based classes in the public-school setting, and an itinerant program for students who are instructed on their home campus. Development of audition, speech, language, and communication skills are emphasized throughout the program. DHH students who do not receive direct services from a Teacher of the Deaf are monitored by the RDSPD.

Service Delivery Models:

ECI Program:

Service from the RDSPD is provided for students with confirmed hearing loss and their families from birth until the child’s third birthday. This service is coordinated through Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) agencies.

RDSPD Site-Based Program:

Self-contained classrooms are located at Settlers Way Elementary, First Colony Middle School, and Dulles High School in Fort Bend ISD (FBISD). When a student has an educational need for daily services from a Teacher of the Deaf due to language and academic delays as a result of their hearing loss, placement may be recommended in a cluster site-based classroom for the deaf/hard of hearing.

Itinerant Services:

Itinerant services are based on the unique needs of students and are provided by a Teacher of the DHH within the student’s home district. The RDSPD teacher provides a minimum of forty-five minutes of direct student instruction per week with focus placed on the development of language, vocabulary, and/or listening and communication skills to support the student’s academic success in the classroom. The teacher may also focus on other identified student needs specific to their hearing loss, such as self-advocacy or maintenance of auditory technology.

Consult Services:

For students who need the service of a Teacher of the Deaf for less than 45 minutes per week, consultation services may be provided to either the student, teaching staff, or both. These services are tailored to the unique needs of the student. All students with the eligibility of DHH are monitored by the RDSPD, and a Teacher of the Deaf is a required member of a DHH student’s ARD/IEP meeting. They provide consultation and resource information to the campus staff who work with the student.