Dr Wendy McCracken PhD, MEd (Aud), BSc Hons,Cert ToD, Cert Ed.

• British Association of Teachers of the Deaf
• British Association of Audiologists
• British Association of Educational Audiologists
• Union of University Lecturers

I was one of the team who worked on the Evaluation of NHSP. I worked on Informed Choice with colleagues from NDCS and the University, Currently undertaking collaborative research with UCL, DRUK and colleagues from the University on the Positive Support in the lives of Deaf Chidren. Recently reported the research on Parental Experience of Service Provison for Deaf Children with Learning Disabilities following a study that included 50 families. Work on the Oticon foundation study of real world benefit of FM systems commences october 2010.

I am particularly interested in deaf individuals with learning disabilities, service provision and audiological management.

I have experience of a range of methodologies but am currenlty focussing on a qualitative approach to gain a better understanding of services.

My prime responsiblity is as programe director of the PG Diploma in Deaf Education, I specifically teach Audiological Management, Developing Deaf Child, Sign Langauge Acquisition, and Policy and practice. For undergraduates I teach acquisiton of communcation skills in deaf chidlren, interagency working and deaf children with learning disabilities.

Following qualification I worked in a School for the Deaf, including a day a week in a then termed ESN(M and S) school with a resource base for deaf children. After 3 years in the resource base I went to work as a peripateric teacher covering a geographical area-all age all ability; pre-school to 18 years. From this post I was seconded to undertake a years course in Audiology at Manchester University. Following qualification I moved to Avon wher I worked in a a variety of settings including a junior and secondary resource base, the nursery at the school for the deaf, as an educational audiologist across all special schools in Avon. I gained CACDP level 1 at this time. I moved to RSD Manchester and worked in the MSI unit. I passed my OSCL level 3 sign exam. I was one of the RNID/Red Cross team who went to Romania in 1991 to train ToDs, and I returend to undertake audiological assessment at Ungureni, Romania. I began working at the University as a lecturer in Deaf Education. I have worked there since becoming programme leader and a senior lecturer. I have been fortunate to lecture in New Zealand, Poland, Ireland, Sweden, Russia and India. I undertook a month's consultancy work assessing pre-school provision in Vietnam and undertook quality assurance of deaf education training in Latvia. Currently I am helping to organise an International Conference on Deaf Education in 2009 to celebrate 90 years of training Teachers of the Deaf here. I have presented at numerous conferences at home and internationally, including virtual conferences. I am also GB director of Healthy Hearing for the Special Olympics andact as an External Examiner for other TOD courses. I am passionate about deaf education and the rights of deaf children, their familes and the service providers.

PhD (Deaf Education), M. Ed (Educational Audiology), Cert ToD, Cert Deaf Education,  BA Hons (Geography)

MRC Communication and Deafness Group, Gwen Carr and Porf Adrian Davis; Prof Alys Young, Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work; NDCS; DRUK;Phonak; Starkey; Ear Foundation and the Oticon Foundation