Online Versus Traditional Classroom Delivery of a Course in Manual Communication‪.‬

Sign language interpreters provide a vital communication link between individuals who can hear and individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Nationwide sign language interpreting services are provided in a multitude of settings, including hospitals, courtrooms, doctors' offices, job sites, and postsecondary settings. However, the majority of full-time interpreters are employed within K-12 settings, accounting for 60% of the professionals who work within the field (Elton, 2000). According to the U.S. Department of Education's Annual Report to Congress (1994), 61,000 students exhibiting varying degrees of hearing loss were educated in public school systems throughout the 1992-1993 academic year. Of this population, 27% were enrolled in general education classes, 21% attended resource rooms, and 31% received their education in self-contained classrooms. Students taught in general education classes and those taught in resource rooms combine to account for about 48% of students identified as deaf and hard of hearing who potentially spend some part of their instructional day in settings with educational interpreters.