Education for Students with Hearing Impairments

As a parent of a child with a hearing impairment, you can choose whether your child will receive education in using sign language and have all their instruction delivered in sign language.
For many students with hearing impairments, it may be beneficial to be in an environment with others who use sign language, and there may be an opportunity for sign language education within the municipality to be gathered at one school.
From the 8th grade onwards, the student can choose whether they want education in and through sign language.

Students in primary and lower secondary school.

Kunnskapsløftet - elever med tegnspråk
Nedsatt hørsel (Udir)

This is a legally mandated service. See:
Opplæringslova § 3-4 og opplæringsforskrifta § 1-3
Folketrygdloven § 10-7
Barnehageloven § 38

Barnehageloven
Folketrygdloven
Opplæringslova
Opplæringsforskrifta
Forvaltningsloven

You do not need to provide medical documentation of the hearing impairment. Simply informing the school is sufficient. However, the school may choose to request an expert assessment from the Educational and Psychological Counseling Service (PPT) to best adapt the teaching.
The decision to provide education in and through sign language is an individual administrative decision.

Before the school makes a decision, you will be notified that your case is being processed, and you will have the opportunity to provide input. The school will gather all necessary information to determine the case, and you have the right to access the documents. The decision will include the school’s reasoning, how they reached the decision, and who was involved in the process. The decision will be sent to you in writing.

The school must process the case as soon as possible. If it cannot be decided within one month, you will receive written notice explaining the delay and an estimated time for the decision.

If you are dissatisfied with the decision, you can appeal within three weeks of receiving it. Explain what you are dissatisfied with and why you believe the decision should be changed. If you need guidance, you can contact the municipality. If the municipality upholds its decision, the case will be forwarded to the County Governor, who will determine whether the appeal is upheld.