Health education curricula in residential schools for the deaf

The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which comprehensive (K-12) school health education was required. Permission to modify survey questions from the American School Health Association and the National School Board Association was obtained. As part of a larger study, ten items of the questionnaire were used to identify the status of health education in residential schools for the deaf. The questionnaire was mailed to institutions listed in a Reference Issue of the American Annals of the Deaf. Twenty-five institutions responded and results were tabulated using descriptive statistics. Twenty-two (88%) of the responding schools indicated a comprehensive health instruction program was in place, with 60% of respondents had specified time requirement for health instruction. The majority of responding institutions reported that teachers responsible for teaching the health curriculum to the deaf were not required to be certified in health education. Health education certification for educators of the deaf would assist in upgrading the quality of health education in residential schools for the deaf.