--- title: "Nebraska deaf education study starts with one parent's fight for his son's schooling" description: "A parent's struggle to get the education his child needed led to an interim study, and Conrad plans a bill when lawmakers return in January." url: https://education.skoop.news/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard--10-29/ published: 2026-10-29T11:31:51.269261-04:00 modified: 2026-10-29T11:31:51.269298-04:00 section: "Education & Careers" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Eynon-Kokrda", "Linsay Darnall Jr", "Daniel Pfaff", "Elkhorn", "Iowa", "ASL", "school", "students"] hashtags: ["#LinsayDarnallJr", "#DanielPfaff", "#EynonKokrda", "#School", "#education"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Southern_Adventist_University_campus_in_Collegedale%2C_Tennessee_16.jpg/1280px-Southern_Adventist_University_campus_in_Collegedale%2C_Tennessee_16.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Nebraska deaf education study starts with one parent's fight for his son's schooling > A parent's struggle to get the education his child needed led to an interim study, and Conrad plans a bill when lawmakers return in January. Published 2026-10-29 · Updated 2026-10-29 · Education & Careers, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - A parent's concerns about accessing the education his child needed prompted the interim study. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) - Eynon-Kokrda said schools compete for a small pool of interpreters and offer low compensation that does little to attract people to the field. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) - Linsay Darnall Jr. said the state replaced the closed school with regional programs, but those services are not enough. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) ## The parent behind the study A parent's concerns about accessing the education his child needed prompted the interim study. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Wiblishouser's family lives in the Elkhorn school district. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) His son first attended kindergarten in Ralston because Elkhorn chose to send him there. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Wiblishouser later considered enrolling his son at the Iowa school and received pushback from Elkhorn. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) The district would have to pay for some of the costs. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) ## Gaps in school interpreting Eynon-Kokrda said schools compete for a small pool of interpreters and offer low compensation that does little to attract people to the field. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Interpreters employed by schools are not subject to the same licensing requirements as independent interpreters. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Eynon-Kokrda said this leads schools to say they cannot find anyone, when independent interpreters may be available at a higher price. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) In one case Eynon-Kokrda knows of, a school said it could not find an ASL interpreter. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) The family found five independent interpreters willing to contract with that district. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Pfaff said many school interpreters are not qualified and that a single interpreter may be assigned for the whole day. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) ## Regional programs and who pays Linsay Darnall Jr. said the state replaced the closed school with regional programs, but those services are not enough. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) He said the state does not pay for dorms or transportation for those students, and the school district must pay for them. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) ## A deaf family looks ahead Daniel Pfaff and his wife are both deaf and are wondering where their eight-week-old deaf baby will go to school. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Pfaff attended a school for the deaf in Indiana and his wife attended one in Iowa. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Pfaff said his child will not have the rich language environment he had in school in Nebraska's schools. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) ## What lawmakers and families can expect Conrad said the hearings highlighted a gap between state policy and how those policies work in practice. [[2]](https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-lawmakers-examine-gaps-in-education-access/74277432) Conrad plans to introduce legislation addressing the issue when lawmakers return in January. [[2]](https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-lawmakers-examine-gaps-in-education-access/74277432) Eynon-Kokrda wants a statewide roster for interpreter availability, recognition of educational interpreters as professional technical staff, compensation improvements, and a requirement for schools to document efforts to hire qualified interpreters. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, the costs of dorms and transportation fall to the school district, according to Darnall. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) Wiblishouser's experience shows that a district may push back when an out-of-state placement would cost it money. [[1]](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) ## Sources 1. [Advocates say Nebraska is lacking in resources for deaf, hard of hearing students](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/advocates-say-nebraska-is-lacking-in-resources-for-deaf-hard-of-hearing-students/) — nebraskapublicmedia.org 2. [Nebraska lawmakers examine gaps in education access, funding for youth programs](https://www.ketv.com/article/nebraska-lawmakers-examine-gaps-in-education-access/74277432) — ketv.com Image: Photo (illustrative): Harrison Keely / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_Adventist_University_campus_in_Collegedale,_Tennessee_16.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/