If the ARD/IEP Committee, which includes a member of the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD), indicates a student needs interpreting services to benefit from instruction, a referral to the RDSPD Office will be initiated.

Referrals may be made through a variety of sources:

• ARD/IEP Committee,
• parents,
• teachers,
• audiologists,
• other professionals,
• and students.

Each student’s need for related services is determined by the student’s ARD/IEP Committee as part of the individualized education program (IEP) process.

In addressing placement decisions, the ARD/IEP Committee should "consider the student's language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the student's language and communication mode including opportunities for direct instruction in the student's language and communication mode."

The ARD/IEP Committee should consider the student's language and communication needs when making the decision regarding which interpreting model is best for the student and in what situations an interpreter will be used and submit a request accordingly.

Interpreting services employs a direct service model using one of several Texas Education Agency recognized options:

• Oral Transliteration,
• Cued Language Transliteration,
• Sign Language Transliteration,
• Sign Language Interpreting,
• Communication Access Realtime Transcription (CART),
• C-Print,
• TypeWell,
• Deaf-Blind Interpreting.

To request a sign language interpreter for Hard of Hearing or Deaf parents of a student for ARD/IEP committee meetings, the Request for a Sign Language Interpreter form must be completed.

The completed form is submitted via the form or faxed to the RDSPD Office at (713) 556-8251 at least 10 business days before the date of the special education function for which sign language interpreter services are required.

When the request is approved, requesters will receive an email confirmation of the request.