Paula Mason, the new executive director of the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind, has a personal connection to deaf education. Her father became profoundly deaf after a head injury when she was four years old. Despite this, he went on to become a successful business owner in Gooding, Idaho, where the Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind is located.

Mason’s Goals

Mason has worked in deaf and blind education in Idaho for over 25 years and is now focused on strengthening the services offered by the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind. She aims to prepare Idaho’s deaf and blind population for the workforce and improve their reading and math scores. However, her goals are complicated by the agency’s reliance on state funding, which has been limited due to budget cuts.

Mason’s team has to adapt existing curriculums to meet the needs of deaf and blind students, as there is no specific curriculum for these students. She also wants to increase real-life job experiences for deaf and blind students, as data shows that this can lead to better employment outcomes.

Challenges

Despite the challenges, Mason remains positive about the future of deaf and blind education in Idaho. She is looking for alternative funding sources to support the agency’s programs and is working with local school districts to identify and support deaf and blind students.

Original reporting: Idaho Education News — read the source article.