supporting deaf/Hearing impaired students

Students who are deaf may require a sign language interpreter during lectures. Students who are hard of hearing may use lip reading and hearing aids to enhance oral communication. For those who lip read, only 30/40% of spoken English is comprehensible even for those who are highly skilled.

Below are suggestions for teaching strategies, however, it is vital to check with students as to which strategies may be appropriate and what support services or equipment are required.

Lip-reading - demands great concentration. Three quarters of it is guesswork, and thus clear speech and contextual clues are vital. Regular pauses are helpful for student and lip-reader.

Logical Structure/Notes - A logical structure helps lip-readers, as does a periodic review or summary.

During the Course:

• Written notes before the lectures can be invaluable.
• Visual aids
• Vital information: always write down on board or overhead projector (OHP) changes of meeting times or venues.
• New Vocabulary - Unknown words or acronyms are impossible to lip-read, so write them on the board or OHP.
• Reading Time - it is impossible to lip-read and read simultaneously, therefore allow the student time to read slides or flipcharts.
• Videotape - obtaining subtitled vidoes where possible or a transcript or even a brief outline helps the student follow the session.
• Handouts and Notes - given out in advance, these will increase what the student gains from the lecture.
• Booklists - the more advance notice of booklists the better

Seminars and tutorials - Consider the needs of the deaf or hearing-impaired student by keeping group sizes small enough for them to lip-read. The optimum size is between six and ten. A circular or near-circular seating plan is ideal.

Chairing a Discussion - A hearing chairperson should ensure that the deaf student can see everyone. Contributors should take turns speaking so that the deaf student has time to switch focus without missing any dialogue.

Laboratory Work - Attract the deaf student's attention before explaining a teaching point which arises during the laboratory session. Advance planning for fieldwork or on placement is vital for a successful outcome. Choice of Room - lighting should be adequate for lip-reading and speakers should be lit from the front. Regarding amplification in a room, the system already installed may need to be used with a portable induction loop, radio microphone or other hearing aid.

Timetabling - Lip-reading and interpreting are demanding and a few hours per day is sensible. If a lecture is long, two interpreters taking turns may be required.

Choice of Room - lighting should be adequate fo rlip-reading and speakers should be lit from the front. Regarding amplification in a room, the system already installed may need to be used with a portable induction loop, radio microphone or other hearing aid.

Using an Interpreter - Speak at your normal rate. An interpreter will tell you to slow down if necessary. During discussions, an interpreter may point to the contributor to indicate who is speaking. Ensure that there are no interruptions and contributions should be properly serialised as the interpreter can only translate for one contributor at a time.

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