Disability Information Session

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Working with the Student who is Deaf or Hard of
Hearing

• Disability Information Session
• UC Clermont
• October 29, 2009

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Definitions

• Deaf - This term refers to members of the Deaf
  community who share common values, norms,
  traditions, language, and behaviors. Deaf people
  do not perceive themselves as having lost
  something (i.e., hearing) and do not think of
  themselves as handicapped, impaired, or disabled.
  They celebrate and cherish their culture because
  it gives them the unique privilege of sharing a
  common history and language. Deaf people are
  considered a linguistic minority within the
  American culture. They have their own culture and
  at the same time live and work within the
  dominant American culture.

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Definitions

• Deaf, hard of hearing, and deafened - Within the
  Deaf culture these words refer to a person's
  audiological status. Notice lower case "d'" is
  used. People who describe themselves as "hard of
  hearing" or "deafened" do not see themselves as
  members of the Deaf culture. Some may know sign
  language but their primary language is English.
• Hearing Impaired - This term often is used by the
  media and society in general to refer to people
  with a hearing loss. A more acceptable generic
  phrase is "deaf and hard of hearing" to refer to
  all people with a hearing loss. Within the Deaf
  culture, the term "hearing impaired" often is
  seen as offensive. It suggests that Deaf people
  are "broken" or "inferior" because they do not
  hear.

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Definitions

• Hearing - Within the Deaf culture the term
  "hearing" is used to identify people who are
  members of the dominant American culture. One
  might think the ASL sign for "hearing" is related
  to the group's ability to hear (e.g., pointing to
  the ear). However, the sign for "hearing" is
  related to the ability to "talk." The act of
  talking is clearly visible to Deaf people,
  whereas listening or hearing is not. From the
  Deaf culture perspective, it is the act of
  "talking" that clearly separates the two groups.

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By the Numbers

• Number of adults with hearing trouble is 34.8
  million or 15
• 12 out of every 1,000 persons with hearing
  impairment is under 18 years of age
• Majority of individuals are hard of hearing and
  not completely deaf
• More men report difficulty with hearing
• Hearing difficulties increase with age
• Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults
  National Health Interview Survey, 2008
• Numbers may not be accurate as many individuals
  do not want to report themselves as deaf of hard
  of hearing.

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Etiology of Hearing Loss

• Can be caused by a condition in pregnancy or
  premature birth
• Can be genetic in nature or caused by a medical
  syndrome such as rubella, meningitis or severe
  ear infections
• Approximately 50 of cases are due to unknown
  factors
• Hearing loss can be acquired due to medication
  side effects, illness or loud noise (repeated
  exposure to ordinance, loud music)

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Language Barriers

• Individuals who are congenitally deaf or who
  become deaf in early childhood have difficulty
  with standard English because they miss out on
  hearing the sounds that contribute to language
  acquisition.
• Individuals born to hearing parents are more
  language-delayed as they do not share a common
  language with their family.
• NOT similar to students who are ESL learners.
  Those individuals most likely do not have a
  disability.

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Cultural Considerations

• Psychosocial basis is the fact that people who
  are deaf prefer to communicate and socialize with
  other people who are deaf
• Since ASL is its own language, this makes the
  argument for deaf culture stronger
• Deaf culture promotes pride and a sense of
  community whereas deafness or hard of hearing
  does not
• Strong tendency to marry another individual who
  is deaf and hope for a deaf child to pass on
  culture and traditions
• Common language improves socialization which can
  lead to better educational opportunities for
  children

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Cochlear Implants

• Very controversial
• Deaf community feels as if their way of life is
  fully functional
• Device is imbedded in the temporal bone where the
  electrodes do the work of the damaged cochlea and
  stimulate the auditory nerves that are sent to
  the brain
• Most successful in younger children so they can
  acquire oral language skills
• Seen as an attempt to fix deafness, implying
  something is wrong with being deaf

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Classroom Accommodations

• Dont ask the interpreter and student to sit in
  the back of the room so they will be less
  distracting to the rest of the class
• Dont ask the interpreter or CART writer to help
  you pass out material or get something that you
  may need for class
• Dont skip over the student when making
  introductions or sharing information. They still
  have the right to fully participate in the class!
• Write key phrases, concepts and assignments on
  the board
• Use visual aids when possible (overheads/Pp)

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Classroom Accommodations

• Ensure that any DVD or Video shown is
  closed-captioned
• Face the class instead of having your back to
  them when lecturing
• Consider an alternate seating arrangement so the
  class has the option of facing each other when
  communicating
• Present new concepts/vocabulary ahead of time so
  the student can be familiar with them ahead of
  time
• Ask students to raise hands before speaking so a
  student who is deaf can easily identify who is
  speaking
• If an interpreter is not present, you can write a
  quick note to the student if you need to tell
  them something immediately

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Sign-Language Interpreters

• An interpreters role is to facilitate
  communication
• and convey all auditory and signed information
  so
• that both hearing and deaf individuals may fully
• interact.
• Interpreters typically have certification and
  follow a code of ethics.
• Interpreters allow the student to be in control
  of their communication between the instructor and
  the rest of the class.

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Interpreting Tips

• When using a sign-language interpreter, look
  directly at the person who is deaf, and maintain
  eye contact to be polite. Talk directly to the
  person (What would you like?), rather than to
  the interpreter (Ask her what shed like.)
• Speak naturally and at a reasonable pace so the
  interpreter can convey the necessary material in
  a timely manner.
• Allow the person who is deaf to ask questions
  through the interpreter.
• The person who is deaf will have to look directly
  at the interpreter for communication so she/he
  will not be able to look at the instructor.

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Interpreting Tips

• UC Clermont typically provides 2 interpreters if
  the class covers complicated material or is
  lengthy. The interpreters will trade-off during
  the class so they will both need to be seated
  near the student for a smooth transition.

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CART Writers

• CART Computer Aided Realtime Translation is
• the instant translation of the spoken word into
• English text performed by a CART reporter using
  a
• stenotype machine, notebook computer and
  realtime
• software. The text is then displayed on a
  computer
• monitor or other display device for the student
  who
• is deaf or hard of hearing to read. This
  technology is
• primarily used by people with hearing loss, but
  it also
• has been used by people with learning
  disabilities or
• those who are learning English as a second
  language.

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CART Writers

• Supernotes vs. Real Time
• Transcripts
• Dont tell an interpreter or a CART writer that
  they are not needed for a particular class. This
  is the students decision to make.

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Assistive Communication Devices

• Hearing aids
• FM Listening systems personal device that uses
  radio frequency to transmit sound to a receiver
  worn by the person who is hard of hearing
• Infrared systems sound is transmitted through
  infrared light waves
• Visual systems like TTY phone, speech recognition
  software, closed-captioning, notetaking
• Alerting systems signal when a sound is made like
  a doorbell, vibrating alarm clock, fire alarm

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Testing Considerations

• Institutions need to determine guidelines for
  when interpreters are needed for testing
• Various measures of assessment should be
  utilized. Tests alone may not be able to measure
  the students true knowledge of the material.
• Students need to know test-taking skills
• Tests should be written so they are clear and
  understandable for all learners.
• An interpreter may be needed to interpret
  questions into ASL.

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Online Classes

• Will the class be required to view any
  videos/DVDs, media files?
• Will the students be asked to chat either
  synchronously or asynchronously?
• Disability Services will assist you in making
  accommodations when necessary.
• It is helpful to think of all learners when
  designing online courses.
• Elluminate example

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Etiquette

• People who are deaf need to be included in the
  decision-making process for issues that affect
  them dont decide for them.
• Before speaking to a person who is deaf or hard
  of hearing, make sure that you get her attention.
  Depending on the situation, you can extend your
  arm and wave your hand, tap her on the shoulder
  or flicker the lights.
• There is no need to shout at a person who is deaf
  or hard of hearing. If the person uses a hearing
  aid, it will be calibrated to normal voice
  levels your shout will just sound distorted.

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Etiquette

• Rephrase, rather than repeat, sentences that the
  person doesnt understand
• When talking, face the person. A quiet, well-lit
  room is most conducive to effective
  communication. If you are in front of the light
  sourcesuch as a windowwith your back to it, the
  glare may obscure your face and make it difficult
  for the person who is hard of hearing to speech
  read
• Speak clearly. Most people who are hard of
  hearing count on watching peoples lips as they
  speak to help them understand. Avoid chewing gum,
  smoking or obscuring your mouth with your hand
  while speaking

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Student Experience

• Allen

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Resources

• http//www.pepnet.org/default.asp
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vB-209DSaW9g
• http//www.washington.edu/doit/