There is no bigger motivation than seeing someone succeed who is in the same situation that you once were. That's what led new teacher Jamie Hall into special education.

Hall, a member of the West Canada Valley Teachers Association, is hearing-impaired. He communicates mostly by reading lips. "Because I went through the special ed field, I felt that being an individual who made it through may inspire kids," Hall said.

A graduate of West Canada Valley schools in the southern Adirondacks, Hall attended Buffalo State College. Through funding from the State Education Department's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individual with Disabilities, Hall hired note-takers to help him.

"When you're hearing-impaired, you read lips, and (the note-takers) freed my hands up and I was able to focus on the instructor," Hall said.

VESID also provided Hall with a TTY/TDD machine to carry on telephone conversations. "VESID takes a lot of pressure off," Hall said. "Learning should take place in an environment with as little pressure as possible."

Seven years ago, New York State United Teachers formed an alliance with SED to highlight education as a career choice for people with disabilities. "Our members with disabilities serve as role models for children and the community," said NYSUT President Tom Hobart.

In his second year at West Canada Valley, Hall works with 16 students in an included, small reading group atmosphere. The students, said Hall, "learn patience and ways to communicate with people in the outside world. The regular ed kids see me as a success and it kind of takes away from the stereotypes."

"His rapport is really good with the students," said Robin Simmons, a science teacher. "He gets their attention and demands eye contact."

To teach students ways to communicate with a hearing-impaired individual, Hall has done activities on lip reading and had his students wear ear plugs. To convey the difficulty people with hearing impairments often have pronouncing consonants, Hall has students try to pronounce words with missing letters.

Hall doesn't go out of his way to tell his students he was a special ed student himself. "If I feel it's beneficial to them, I will," he said. He remembers one middle school student who was sensitive about receiving special ed services in high school. Hall shared his story with the student and explained the services available. "It kind of eased the transition for him," said Hall.

For information, contact the State Education Department, VESID, One Commerce Plaza, Albany, N.Y. 12234; call (800) 222-JOBS; or visit online at web.nysed.gov/vesid.

- Clarisse Butler