Individual Placement and Review Committee Process:
Perceptions of Parents of Students Who Are Both
Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Autistic
Abstract:
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​The purpose of this mixed methods action research pilot study was to examine the parent’s perceptions about participation in the Individual Placement and Review Committee process for their deaf/hard of hearing and autistic child. A survey and interview revealed a lack of inclusion by the school of the parent.
This action research pilot study provides a glimpse into a Canadian parent’s perspective of the Individual Placement and Review Committee process. The Canadian perspective is unique in that it is legislated provincially and not federally. The focus of this study is even more distinctive in that it discuss a low-incidence population of students who are both deaf and autistic.
The researcher demonstrated the need for investigating this group of students and their families, supported by the national and situational context as well as the existing literature. The researcher’s personal context was shared as a form of support for the need to explore the topic as well as their reflexivity. Having interviewed and collected data from a parent of a student who is both deaf and autistic and who has participated in the IPRC process, the researcher was able to use the feedback and information to inform change in the interview instrument.
All electronic files related to this pilot study, including all documents shared by the participant were kept in password protected files. All documents received as hard copies were scanned and uploaded to the computer and secured in password protected files. Original hard copies were stored in a locked filing cabinet. All names and identifiable information were scrubbed from the data.