The person who teaches students who are deaf or hard of hearing — in dedicated programs, mainstream classrooms with support, or as itinerant specialists — using sign language, listening and spoken language strategies, or both depending on each student's needs.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher (DHH Teacher) pay typically runs $57K–$82K at this level.
Day-to-day tends to involve direct instruction, IEP work, collaboration with general education teachers, language and communication support, and ongoing assessment of each student's academic and language progress. The work draws on specialized knowledge — language development for deaf students, audiology basics, sign language fluency, and the technologies that support access.
Coordination tends to happen with families, audiologists, speech-language pathologists, classroom teachers, interpreters, and the IEP team. Communication mode decisions carry real weight for families — ASL, listening and spoken language, total communication — and you're often part of conversations about what each child needs to thrive.
People who tend to thrive here are patient, deeply curious about language and communication, and committed to deaf education as a craft. If you want a high-paced general classroom or struggle with the small specialized field dynamics, the role can feel insular. If you find satisfaction in opening up access for students whose path through school depends on someone like you, the work can be deeply consequential.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The person who teaches students who are deaf or hard of hearing — in dedicated programs, mainstream classrooms with support, or as itinerant specialists — using sign language, listening and spoken language strategies, or both depending on each student's needs.
Median pay for a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher (DHH Teacher) is about $64K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $47K to $103K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Instructing, Active Listening, Speaking, Learning Strategies, and Social Perceptiveness.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Closely related roles include Curriculum and Instruction Director, Curriculum and Assessment Director, and Math Interventionist (Mathematics Interventionist).
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