Email: Julie.Bowles@psd150.org

Room #132

I hope that you will take some time to read about our program, but also to use this website as a reference
to gain knowledge about those who are deaf or hard of hearing or to learn sign language in order to
communicate with those who have a hearing loss.

Check out the WebLinks to learn sign language!
Also Check out the Deaf Education Department to view services provided by Peoria Public Schools District #150 in Peoria Illinois.

Mark Bills Middle School in Peoria, Illinois provides services for deaf and hard of hearing students  from 5th to 8th grade with
varying degrees of hearing loss and ability levels.  An atmosphere of total communication with certified and
experienced teachers as well as certified interpreters in conjunction with cooperative general education teachers
and staff allow the department to establish the best possible education to meet the individual needs of each student. 
One full-time and one part-time teacher have self contained classrooms that provide a full curriculum
aligned with Illinois State Standards of reading, language, math, science and social studies. 
We work to support their development of vocabulary and language using the Moog Word lists, Fry's word list and vocabulary development with each core subject. Students also have
the opportunity to be mainstreamed for core general education classes and special encore classes or full
inclusion. Our program offers certified educational interpreters that provide communication facilitation between students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and other individuals. Students can and are encouraged to be involved in extra-curricular activities such as student council, basketball, soccer, volleyball, chess club, and even band.  Students also receive speech and language
therapy by a licensed Speech and Language therapist that uses sign language, as well as any occupational or physical therapy as delineated in their education plan.  It is important that we work to have Deaf Mentors visit our classroom and share their experiences.
 

On a Personal note:  

I have been teaching the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in the district since 1990.  Throughout these 30 + years
I have taught pre-school through high school students with varying degrees of hearing loss and learning levels.
In addition, I have also worked with deaf low incidence students at Jamieson School in the Peoria Public Schools as well as the Life Skills classes here at Mark Bills. 
Currently I am a proud staff member at Mark Bills Middle School teaching  5th through 8th grade students in Reading,
Language, Science, History and Social Studies.  My small self-contained classroom offers an opportunity for
individualized growth and success. If you have any further questions or would like more information about
our program please feel free to contact me at the email address listed above. 

Recently two former Deaf and Hard of Hearing students visited our classroom. The students were excited to meet Amanda Ellis and Jay Cody. They shared their life experiences as students in the DHH programs in Peoria. They both encouraged the students to listen to their teachers, do their homework and learn as much as they can. Jay works at Komatsu and Amanda works at FedEx. They share information about the training needed for their jobs and the challenges of being deaf and working full time. Jay and Amanda are also parents and they talked about raising their children and teaching them sign language. The life lessons that they focused on were the importance of not giving up/ keep going, and don't let your deafness hold you back from something that you really want to do.