The Regional Day School Program for the Deaf provides developmental and educational services to children (birth to 21 years) who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families. Pictured above are Greenville High School junior Rebeca Alba and preschooler Mark Lacek with his teacher at L.P. Waters Early Childhood Education Center.
Greenville High School junior Rebeca Alba packs a lot into her day. She’s up at 5 a.m. to get ready for cross country. After she runs, she cleans up and begins the academic day, where, in addition to her core subjects, she loves cooking in culinary arts and grooming small animals in FFA classes.
Although she is deaf, she doesn’t let this keep her from living life to its fullest.
“She’s one of the busiest and most passionate people I know,” says interpreter Monica Kelsey, who helps Rebeca navigate her busy day. “She loves being in school here and being able to study and experience so many different things.”
Rebeca is one of 13 students who receive life-changing services through the Greenville Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD). These students are served on campuses within Greenville ISD. An itinerant teacher also provides weekly services to 12 deaf/hard of hearing students in their home districts. Greenville RDSPD is providing services to seven families through ECI with children under the age of three who are deaf/hard of hearing. There are another 50 students who receive consult services from Greenville RDSPD in their home districts. Greenville RDSPD also provides assessment services to these member districts. The program operates within Greenville ISD and serves 26 area member districts, including:
- Bland
- Boles
- Bonham
- Caddo Mills
- Campbell
- Celeste
- Commerce
- Como-Pickton
- Cumby
- Fannindel
- Greenville
- Honey Grove
- Leonard
- Lone Oak
- Miller Grove
- North Hopkins,
- Rains
- Royse City
- Quinlan
- Saltillo
- Sam Rayburn
- Sulphur Bluff
- Sulphur Springs
- Trenton
- Willis Point
- Wolfe City
The Regional Day School Program for the Deaf was established by the Texas Legislature and is operated by the Texas Education Agency in partnership with local public schools across the state. RDSPDs provide developmental and educational services to children (birth to 21 years) who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.
Greenville RDSPD provides a full continuum of services based upon each child’s individual needs as determined by assessment and the ARD committee. Services may include:
- Parent/Infant (0-3 year old) services are provided through a memorandum of understanding between Greenville RDSPD and the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECI).
- Services are available for early childhood through high school (ages 3-21) in centralized classrooms on a regular education campus for intensive instruction. Students spend some portion of their day within the general education setting based on each student’s individual needs. Centralized campuses include L.P. Waters Early Childhood Center, Travis/Sixth Grade Center, Greenville Middle School and Greenville High School.
Greenville RDSPDs Continuum of Services
- The deaf education classes on the centralized campuses are taught by certified, highly qualified teachers of the deaf.
- Itinerant teachers of the deaf provide support to students with hearing impairments enrolled in general education or basic special education on their home school campus.
- Intensive speech and language evaluations, direct intervention, and consultation are provided to qualifying students by certified speech language pathologists and certified teachers of the deaf.
- Sign language interpreting/transliterating is provided for students whose mode of communication is sign language in the general education setting and for before and after school educational activities.
- Other additional supports and related services such as counselors, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and nurses are available to students if recommended through evaluation and the ARD process.
There are currently five teachers, seven interpreters and the RDSPD coordinator/diagnostician providing services to the centralized, itinerant and consult students in the Greenville RDSPD SSA.
To learn more, contact RDSPD Coordinator Mary Shaddox at shaddoxm@greenvilleisd.com.
