Approximately
one in ten individuals has a significant hearing loss. Within this
population, most individuals have some level of hearing impairment and
only a small proportion of the group is Deaf. Types of hearing loss
include sensorineural (nerve-related), conductive (affecting the outer
or middle ear) or a mixed hearing loss (mixture of both types.) People
with profound hearing loss often prefer to be referred to as Deaf
rather than hearing impaired. They see this as a positive identity
rather than a negative label.
The impact of hearing loss depends on the type of disorder,
extent and timing of the loss. Some students may have lost hearing over
a period of time, for example as a result of ageing or of hereditary
conditions. Others may have suffered permanent hearing loss as a result
of workplace noise. Students with a hearing impairment may experience
difficulty with certain sound frequencies, and may have difficulty when
there is significant background noise. Some students may have the
condition tinnitus, a high-pitched ringing noise in the ear. Some will
have had their hearing enhanced, though not entirely restored, with
cochlea implants or hearing devices.
Other students may be deaf: prelingually deaf, or deaf as the result of illness in childhood. Deaf students may lip-read, use sign language,
or a combination of these. A student who uses Auslan as a first
language of communication may have difficulty with the grammatical and
syntactical structure of English and may have a limited vocabulary.
Some deaf students may also speak differently.
Students with hearing impairments may require accommodations and assistive devices
to have best access to education. Accommodations may be as simple as
preferential seating or as complex as wireless assistive listening
devices in the classroom. Each learner's needs must be evaluated, and
accommodations should be provided to enhance the learning environment
for that hearing impaired student.
Impact of Hearing Impairment
The learning processes of students with hearing impairment may be affected in the following ways:
- Students who have been deafened in early childhood are very
different to students who have lost hearing later in life in terms of
educational disadvantage. For example, their range of vocabulary may be
limited which in turn may affect their reading ability.
- Deaf and hearing impaired students tend to be visual learners – and
this is difficult in an environment where much essential information is
delivered exclusively by word of mouth.
- Hearing impaired students may need to use assistive technology such as FM systems to participate in class.
- The impact of hearing impairment is clear in respect of time.
Students who need information transcribed from tape must sometimes wait
for a significant period of time for this to happen. This means that
they may fall behind other students in the class, and confidence and
self-esteem may suffer as a result.
- Students with hearing impairment may appear isolated in the
learning environment. The possibility for social contacts and for
interaction with other students is often limited, and this isolation or
separateness may have an impact on learning.
- Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. Students
who cannot hear the flow and nuances of rapid verbal exchange will be
at a disadvantage.
- Students with disabilities frequently carry emotional ‘baggage’ as
a result of past learning failures and other 'put-downs', and this can
have a long-term effect on confidence, self-esteem, and on their
approach to learning.
- Students with hearing impairment coming straight from the school
system will have been used to a structured, controlled, supportive
environment, and may feel uncomfortable taking some of the learning
risks associated with the relatively unstructured and unsupportive
environment of university.
- Anxiety about performing in front of others may affect
participation in tutorials, particularly for students who have an
associated speech impairment.
Teaching Strategies
There is a range of inclusive teaching strategies that can assist all students
to learn but there are some specific strategies that are useful in
teaching a group which includes students with hearing impairment.
- Encourage students with hearing impairment to seat themselves toward the front of the lecture theatre where they will have an unobstructed line of vision. This is particularly important if the student is using an interpreter, lip-reading, relying on visual clues or using a hearing aid which has a limited range.
- Use the FM (frequency modulation) hearing system or induction loop if
these are available in the lecture theatre. Hearing aids may include
transmitter/receiver systems with a clip-on microphone for the
lecturer. If using such a microphone it is not necessary to change your
speaking or teaching style.
- Ensure that any background noise is minimised.
- Repeat clearly any questions asked by students in the lecture or class before giving a response.
- Do not speak when facing the blackboard. Be aware that moustaches,
beards, hands, books or microphones in front of your face can add to
the difficulties of lip-readers. Students who lip-read cannot function
in darkened rooms. You may need to adjust the lighting in your teaching
environment.If a sign interpreter is employed, follow the hints for working with a sign interpreter.
- It is difficult for a student watching a signer to also take notes from
an overhead or blackboard. Neither is a signer able to translate, at
the same time, both your words and any information given on an
overhead. It is important then that all information should be available
in handout.
- Provide written materials to supplement all lectures, tutorials and
laboratory sessions. Announcements made regarding class times,
activities, field work, industry visits etc should be given in writing
as well as verbally.
- Allow students to record lectures or, preferably, make copies of your
lecture notes available. Flexible delivery of teaching materials via
electronic media is also particularly helpful for students who have
difficulty accessing information in the usual ways. For deaf students
new technology, and the internet in particular, can be used to bridge
many gaps.
- Ensure that lists of the subject-specific jargon and technical terms
which students will need to acquire are made available early in the
course.
- Any videos or films used should, where possible, be captioned. When this is not possible, you will need to consider alternative ways for students with hearing impairment to access the information.
- In tutorials, assist students who lip-read by having the student sit
directly opposite you and ensure, if possible, that they can see all
other participants. Control the discussion so that only one person is
speaking at a time.
- Students with hearing impairment, especially those with an associated
speech disorder, may prefer to have another student present their
tutorial papers.
- Language abilities are often affected by hearing impairment. Many
students with hearing impairment have lower reading levels, and a
limited vocabulary, particularly those deafened in childhood. Provide
reading lists well before the start of a course so that students with
hearing impairment can begin reading early. Consider tailoring these
reading lists when necessary, and provide guidance to key texts.
- Allow assignments or reviews to be completed on an in-depth study of a few texts rather than a broad study of many.
- Do not make students over-anxious about making mistakes, asking
questions, getting through the work or meeting learning goals. It may
be helpful for students with a hearing impairment to have an individual
orientation to laboratory equipment or computers to minimise anxiety,
particularly in cases where class sizes are large and where it may be
difficult to see or hear the demonstrator.
Assessment Strategies
In considering alternative forms of assessment, equal opportunity,
not a guaranteed outcome, is the objective. You are not expected to
lower standards to accommodate students with a disability but rather
are required to give them a reasonable opportunity to demonstrate what
they have learned. Once you have a clear picture of how the disability
impacts on learning you can consider alternative assessment strategies.
- When their range of vocabulary is limited, students may require the
use of a thesaurus or dictionary during exams. A personal computer with
spelling and grammar functions may be required.
- Provide alternatives to those assignments which are based on
interviews or questionnaires, and be flexible with assignment
deadlines, particularly if students have had to wait for taped material
to be transcribed.
- Provide extra time in examinations, particularly extra time for
reading questions. Some students will prefer to have questions and
instructions ‘signed’ to them.
Adapted from a publication in the UniAbility series