Supporting Students with Hearing Impairments

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.
• Use 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 videos 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 that 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 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.

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.

General Guidelines for Communicating with People with Hearing Impairments

LIP READING

A simple illustrative sign or gesture can often clarify to a deaf person what word you are saying. Make certain that:

• The deaf person is watching the speaker
• Your face is always fully visible when you are speaking
• There is nothing in your mouth
• You keep your hands away from your face
• You turn so that the light falls on your face
• You speak slowly and distinctly but with normal rhythm.

DEAF DOES NOT MEAN DIM

• A deaf person's difficulty in communicating can sometimes give a false impression of stupidity. But deaf people possess the same intelligence and practical abilities as hearing people.
• Be guided by individual deaf persons on how to talk to them. For example, mouthing your words may help one person but hinder another.
• Be sure the subject discussed is known. For example, the words ‘paper' and ‘baby' look alike, but if the deaf person knows you are talking about the office, ‘paper' is likely to be the first thought. Give an indication when you are changing the topic of conversation.
• Check that the deaf person has fully understood what has been said. If the person seems puzzled, ask whether he or she has understood you. The deaf person might not like to ask you to repeat what you have said, and may not or give the impression of understanding, even if this is not true, and especially if others are present. But be tactful in your co-operation.
• Remember that missing one important word or phrase may disrupt concentration and cause the person to miss the next dozen words.
• If in doubt, repeat it again in another way, or write it down. (In the case of people who have been deaf since childhood, remember that their knowledge of English may be somewhat limited, so write it down simply.)
• If they fail to grasp it, don't just say ‘it doesn't matter' - as this is a blow to self-esteem. It implies that deaf people are not worth spending time on.
• Remember that deaf people cannot hear whether they are speaking too loudly or too softly - so tell them, but be tactful!
• Above all, behave naturally. Don't become impatient, or imply that the deaf person is slow on the uptake, stupid or downright perverse because she/he has not properly understood. Doing so will only make you less intelligible for him to understand.