Educators confront many challenges in working with children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, but no challenge causes more anxiety than being called upon to be a witness in a special education due process hearing. The authors review issues related to communication modality and placement of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, discuss reasons that school districts end up in due process hearings, and cite pertinent court cases. They also offer suggestions that may help educators to provide effective testimony and conclude by highlighting positive outcomes that can result from a hearing, regardless of the decision rendered.
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