Abstract
Gainful employment for adults in the United States currently requires high levels of literacy. As challenging as these requirements may be for the workforce at large, for adults who have a hearing loss (HL) and whose first spoken language is not English, the demands are especially problematic. Therefore, it is critical that educators prepare English learner (EL) K-12 students with HL for life beyond school by understanding and addressing the underlying language of curriculum. The authors explore the escalating literacy demands of the workforce and the corresponding spoken and written language demands of more rigorous K-12 curriculum standards. They highlight the specific challenges of EL children and adolescents with HL who are acquiring English as a second spoken language. They make the case for a more robust collaborative approach, involving multiple perspectives, rather than "teamwork," in addressing the needs of these students across the grades, with intercultural competence as a major component in engaging families as partners.