Creating a World of Inclusion: Aldine ISD and Region 4 Expand Deaf Education Opportunities

When students who are deaf or hard of hearing walk into the hallways and classrooms of Aldine ISD, they’re not just entering a space for learning — they’re stepping into a community built on inclusion, advocacy, and opportunity.

Since 2023, Aldine ISD has partnered with the Region 4 Regional Day School Program for the Deaf (RDSPD), the largest of its kind in Texas, to provide a full range of services for students from birth through age 22. Through this partnership, Aldine serves as a satellite site, opening its doors not only to Aldine families but also to students from Spring, Houston, Pasadena, and Deer Park ISDs.

Four Aldine campuses — Magrill, Ogden, Teague, and Nimitz — serve as cluster sites, offering daily access to certified teachers of the deaf and specialized support. Across the district, 48 campuses serve students receiving itinerant services, while infants identified at birth through Early Childhood Intervention begin receiving critical support long before entering a classroom.

For Korrie Bowers Holiday, the Aldine Region 4 RDSPD program manager, the work is personal. She began her journey in Aldine as a student teacher at Calvert Elementary in 2009. Seventeen years later, she now helps lead a program that connects families to resources, equips teachers through training, and creates opportunities for students they may not have had otherwise.

“Our students have access to the cutting edge of what Deaf Ed is doing right now, and we are all more connected to each other,” Bowers said. “Our program has also brought in a family support aspect. Families have more direction and guidance that truly focuses on their needs.”

That sense of connection is felt across campuses. Students in Deaf Ed classrooms not only receive specialized instruction but also have opportunities to join general education classes — sometimes with interpreters, sometimes without — so they can learn and grow alongside their peers.

The program also puts a strong emphasis on self-advocacy and life skills. “We can’t make sure everyone is included if we don’t know they are even there,” Bowers said, underscoring the importance of awareness and communication across all campuses involved in the program.

At Ogden Elementary, Principal Gregory Castille embraces that philosophy. His mission is to ensure that students and families feel included and supported, whether by providing interpreters for parents who are deaf or hard of hearing or by training staff to meet every student’s needs.

“We want our students to be in a world of inclusion, not isolation,” Castille said. “As a campus, we’re taking steps to train ourselves so we can communicate properly. We want our Deaf Ed and hard of hearing students to feel part of the culture of this campus, with their purpose recognized and celebrated by everyone.”

That message resonates beyond the campus and into the homes of students in the program. This bond has made it easier for Melinda Trobaugh, a special education teacher and SLC team lead at Ogden, to support her students. She oversees a team of eight—including two fully deaf paraprofessionals and interpreters—to teach her deaf education students. She often praises her parents as amazing.

“It’s hard for some of these parents because they have to trust me with their kids, which has helped me build strong relationships with them. We communicate daily and emphasize what we do here at school so they can continue learning at home. If they need resources, I know where to find them,” said Trobaugh. 

Trobaugh has created a safe space for her students, allowing them to be with peers who share similar experiences. She promotes independence, fosters a family-oriented classroom setting,  and helps them practice their skills, especially when resources may not be readily available at home. It’s important to her that they leave the classroom able to communicate effectively with their instructors and others in the real world.

Connie Pierre, an Ogden parent and member of the parent advisory committee,shared how the program transformed her daughter’s school experience after transferring from another Aldine campus. She said it was important for her child to feel comfortable and accepted among peers with similar experiences. 

“My child didn’t want to go to school and would cry a lot in the mornings,” said Pierre. “But when she started attending the Deaf classes, she began waking up happy and is doing much better now. This is the right program for her.”

That message — all students are the same, and all students belong — guides Aldine ISD’s approach to Deaf Education. With Region 4’s partnership, students are gaining not just academic opportunities but also the tools to thrive in every aspect of life.

It’s not just about teaching content. It’s about creating a culture of belonging — a place where every voice, spoken or signed, is heard.