Profile

Prof Wendy Mccracken

Programme Director DASEHIC/Senior Lecturer Education For The Deaf

Bio

Hello a little introduction. I am Wendy McCracken, Professor of Deaf Education University of Manchester, UK. I am a qualified Teacher of the Deaf, Educational Audiologist and currently I am programme director for the MSc International Deaf Education programme. Interestingly I am the only Professor of Deaf Education in the UK. My passion is teaching and raising expectations and achievement in all deaf children. I was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2014. I gained my PhD at the University of Manchester and have numerous publications across a wide range of subjects in the field of deaf education including audiological provision, pre-school work, working with deaf children with complex needs. This includes several books and chapters in books, for example Educational Audiology in Developing Countries written jointly with Susie Miles, in Audiology in Developing Countries, McPherson and Brouillette I have presented at local, national and International level and have contributed to writing national guidance on pre-school monitoring of deaf children. I undertook a review of services for medically fragile deaf children and jointly, a national review of the Visiting teacher services for Hearing Impaired and Visually impaired children in Ireland. I am Chair of the UK Children’s working group on radio aids and the UK lead for Healthy Hearing for the Special Olympics. I have extensive international work for example in Vietnam, Meghalaya In India and Ghana. Prior to working at the University of Manchester I worked across the age range and types of educational provision, including both oral and sign bilingual settings. I also taught adult speechreading classes. I believe deaf children and adults can do anything, given the chance. My hope is that by joining this MOOC you will be an agent of change and help to ensure this group of individuals life chances are improved, potential given opportunity and that exclusion of deaf individuals is challenged by positive alternatives. I look forward to welcoming you on the MOOC and to working together.