A school for hearing-impaired children in Shoreline

By Dr. Barbara Luetke, Outreach and Literacy Coordinator 

with input from Dr. Peg Mayer, Head of School

You may not know this, but there is a very special school in Shoreline. Northwest School for Hearing-Impaired Children (NWSFHIC) is the reason that Loke Asing of Hawaii moved here this summer. It was a courageous decision: Loke knew no one in Shoreline, and had never even seen the school. Nevertheless, she quit her job, sold her car and moved!

Loke has an 11-year old daughter, Zoelei, who is deaf, and was falling farther and farther behind her hearing classmates in academics and language each year.

When asked about how she came to her decision, Loke replied, "When I discovered NWSFHIC in my research, I knew I had stumbled across something rare and special.  My deaf child has a cochlear implant, a device that gives her access to sound, but she still needed an effective way to learn English.   

Just because she can hear with her CI device, doesn't mean she is automatically understanding everything that's being said ... and being deaf, she needs visual support for language that she is partially hearing. The philosophy of the school and the use of Signing-Exact-English (S.E.E.) just made sense for my family!"

Loke isn't alone in her experience. In the last year alone, five other families moved to the area from various states so their child could attend NWSFHIC. Like Loke, parents read about the school on the internet.  

These parents were looking for a program where excellent academic instruction is combined with helping students develop their best speech and, listening skills. At NWSFHIC that is exactly what they have found. Using Signing Exact English, Northwest’s certified teachers of the deaf prepare students to compete effectively with hearing kids in their neighborhood schools.

English proficiency is fundamental for learning to read, academic achievement, going to college and getting a job. For deaf children who can't hear English or hear it imperfectly, it makes a lot of sense to SIGN English! 

The success of the students at NWSFHIC is why 20 some school districts in six counties contract with the school. Children can attend who are three years old through the 8th grade, and the home school district typically pays the tuition and transportation costs. Research has shown that most of the graduates of NWSFHIC earned college degrees, obtained jobs, and now live independently from their parents. 

Says Loke, "When I saw the statistics in a study comparing students nationwide to those at NWSFHIC, I was blown away.  The numbers speak for themselves. The use of speech, listening, Signing-Exact English and the environment provided at this Shoreline gem is an answer to prayer.  I feel that Zoelei is finally getting the help she needs in learning speech and English, which will set her up to accomplish anything she wants to do in life."

For more information contact Barbara Luetke, 206-364-4605. The school is located at 15303 Westminster Way North, Shoreline 98133.