Sarah B. Ammerman, Ph.D.

Dr. Sarah Ammerman is an Assistant Professor in the Deaf Education and Hearing Science (DEHS) Program at the UT Health San Antonio. She was formerly a teacher the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Dr. Ammerman has a dual-major undergraduate degree in deaf education (comprehensive) and elementary education, a master’s degree in deaf education (listening and spoken language), and a doctoral degree in special education with a minor in audiology.

Dr. Ammerman is recognized as a national leader in the field of deaf education with an emphasis on listening and spoken language. She has co-presented and co-authored about the topic of reciprocal peer coaching/mentoring in the professional preparation and continuing education of deaf education educational faculty. The DEHS Program was awarded a Department of Education/Office Special Education and Rehabilitative Services personnel preparation grant in 2010 and 2013 recognizing research in this area. Dr. Ammerman has served as a national reviewer for the Department of Education and the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. For two years she co-lead the San Antonio on-site portion of Professional Preparation in Cochlear Implants, an intensive two-week professional development workshop for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and teachers of the deaf seeking current knowledge of developing the listening and spoken language skills of children with hearing loss. In addition, she is on the Alexander Graham Bell School-Age Financial Aid Committee and is the President-Elect of the Association of College Educators-Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

• Professional Background

  Education

  • 2009 - PhD - Special Education with a minor in Audiology - University of Arizona
  • 2002 - MEd - (4.0 GPA) - Smith College
  • 2001 - BEd - Eastern Kentucky University

  Appointments

  • 7/2009 - Assistant Professor/Clinical - UT Health Science Center, San Antonio, Otolaryngology, San Antonio

• Research & Grants

  Grants

  Federal

  Funding Agency Department of Education: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Title Practice Makes Professional: Mentoring and Peer Coaching for Preparing and Maintaining Certified Personnel to Provide Instruction for Children who are D/HH in Texas Status Active Period 1/2014 - Present Role Co-Investigator Grant Detail This project proposed to prepare 48 TODs who will provide effective, high-quality instruction to children with hearing loss and their families and reduce the critical shortage of teachers of the deaf. Funding Agency Department of Education: Office of Special Education Programs Title D.E.E.P. (Deaf Education and Educational Psychology) Learning in Texas Status Active Period 1/2018 - 12/2022 Role Co-Investigator Grant Detail The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio and the University of Texas at San Antonio will prepare 39 master?s-level scholars to work with school-age learners who are d/hh to: Use framework of deaf education to address complex needs of families and children; collaborate with professionals; incorporate knowledge of hearing loss and its effects on learning/development, using technology and supportive strategies; facilitate development of language and cognition; promote social and self-advocacy skills; provide assessment, applying principles and components of effective instructional design and delivery
  Length:
  ? Deaf Education: 2 years, Texas certification
  ? School Psychology: 3.5 years, Texas and national certification

  Scholars will complete 16.5 hours of interdisciplinary coursework on topics including language development, communication modes, historical issues, counseling, human development, evaluation techniques, and cognitive/academic assessment, and intervention. All interdisciplinary courses will have a practical component utilizing a collaborative, team-based approach to meet needs of students. A planning year will be used to modify and develop coursework, group assignments, and practical experiences. Deaf Education scholars will complete an additional 29 degree hours. A one year mentorship will assist each scholar in the transition from student to practitioner. Quantitative and qualitative performance measures will be used for formative and summative project evaluations.

   

• Publications

  Book Chapter

  Jackson, Rebecca W., Ammerman SB, Trautwein B. Infants and Toddlers who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Developmentally Delayed or At Risk for Developmental Delays. In: Caroline Guardino & Joanna Cannon. Deafness and Diversity Volume I. Washington, D.C: Gallaudet University Press; 2019.

  Book/Monograph

  Guardino, CA, Cannon, J, Beal-Alvarez, J, Ammerman SB, Bergeron, J. Case Studies in Deafness: Spanning the Spectrum Washington, D.C: Gallaudet University Press; 2018.

  Journal Article

  Jackson RL, Ammerman SB, Trautwein BA. Deafness and Diversity: Early intervention American Annals of the Deaf 2015 Oct;160(4):356-367.