Take Five with Caroline Depcik, Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Itinerant Teacher with the CPS Office for Students with Disabilities

Take Five is a series that highlights some of the many members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our schools. If you know someone who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

As we celebrate Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Awareness Month, we are excited to introduce Ms. Caroline Depcik, an itinerant teacher who provides support to CPS students who are deaf and hard of hearing. 

Ms. Depcik, who is Deaf herself, worked in various CPS schools for 34 years before retiring three years ago. But so great is her expertise that she has since returned to the District, and is now supporting deaf and hard of hearing students around the city.

Ms. Depcik’s primary focus is helping students navigate the classroom curriculum through direct instruction and support, while also developing their language and communication skills. Another essential part of her job is helping families find and explore the resources available throughout the city to help deaf and hard-of-hearing students succeed both in and beyond the classroom. 

“Our students are our future,” says Ms. Depcik. “If we teach and nurture them, they will take care of us.” 

Read more about Ms. Depcik and her work below! 

What inspired you to get into this work?

I’m Deaf myself, and I come from a Deaf family; my parents are Deaf, and my brothers and sisters are too. So I’ve always known the importance of having Deaf role models in the community. There aren’t enough of us out there, so it felt right for me to teach deaf children and be someone our students can look up to.

What are the biggest challenges facing deaf students?

Language is a significant challenge for deaf students, as some may have lacked access to the visual language they needed to communicate and learn how to read or write when growing up. When children who are deaf/hard of hearing don’t develop language, many aspects of their life, like their social and self-advocacy skills and relationships with family, are impacted, and technology like hearing aids and cochlear implants don’t magically fix these barriers. This is why it’s essential that our students receive additional support.

What role do you play in supporting our students who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing?

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing teachers wear many hats! We act as social workers, educators, advocates, and even as family to our students. Oftentimes, students might not receive the necessary support at home or in the general education classroom, and our teachers are their only resource. In our role, we help students learn how to self-advocate and help the classroom teacher to better understand the needs of their deaf and hard-of-hearing students. 

What is your advice for educators who work with this community?

Keep learning sign language. Don’t be afraid that you’re not good enough. The Deaf community loves meeting hearing people who make an effort to learn sign language, and we celebrate it. Always keep learning, and be open to other ideas or concepts outside of what they teach you in school!

In keeping with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Awareness Month, what would you like the hearing world to know about this population, and what myths or misconceptions would you like to dispel?

One of the biggest misconceptions about children who are deaf is that they’re less intelligent, which is just not true. There is nothing different between you and me. Many of us lead lives similar to hearing people; we have families, jobs, and aspirations. We work as lawyers, doctors, teachers, and public servants. We might be a small number, but we’re here!