Abstract
Considering the low number of educational audiologists practicing in Northern California it is not unlikely that there are many school districts that do not offer this service. While research exists demonstrating the positive impact of this profession on student education, little has been explored on the impact of other education professionals. This project aimed to determine whether there are any differences in feelings of support and preparedness to teach students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing among teachers with and without educational audiology. A total of 11 participants were interviewed from two Northern California counties. Participants from Placer County shared their experiences with having an educational audiologist, while participants from Tehama County shared their experiences of not having an educational audiologist. Participants from both counties were overwhelmingly in support of this profession as an education team member, even in cases from Tehama County where they could not explain what the perceived benefit might be for them.