- Students who are deaf
or hard of hearing should provide you with an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services outlining recommended accommodations for your course. If
the student asks for accommodations but doesn’t present you with an
accommodation letter, please refer the student to Student Disability Services
for assessment and intake.
- Students who are deaf
or hard of hearing are expected to meet the same requirements as the students
who are hearing in class. There may be some exceptions such as listening to
material for an assignment or exam. You may choose to give a different
assignment of equal value to substitute for this particular assignment. SDS may consult with you occasionally to
determine which accommodations are most appropriate for your course.
- A student who is deaf
or hard of hearing may find it difficult to take notes during the class and may
need another student in class to be a notetaker to obtain copies of the
notes. Most often, Student Disability
Services will find a notetaker for the student. If you know of a student in the
class who takes good notes, please feel free to suggest that person as a
notetaker.
- It is helpful to write
new terminology, homework assignments, schedule changes, exam dates, and exam
question changes on the blackboard, overhead, or the class Blackboard site.
- Your position in the
classroom is extremely critical. If possible, try to remain centralized and
avoid constant pacing in the classroom. Many students need to focus on your
face in order to lip-read. It is also
helpful to avoid standing in front of a window, as glare can make lip reading
difficult.
- If you are wearing an
assistive listening device or lapel microphone as an accommodation for a
student, please remember to turn the equipment on and off before and after your
lecture.
- As a courtesy, face
the student directly when talking with him or her. Always speak directly to the student and not
to an interpreter, captioner, or companion.
If no interpreter is present, you may need to use paper and pen to help
understand the conversation.
- In class, discussions
may be difficult for the student who is deaf or hard of hearing to follow.
During group discussions, emphasize the importance of only one person speaking
at a time and be sure that the student who is deaf or hard of hearing is aware
of who is speaking.
- Please be aware that
most students who are deaf or hard of hearing cannot take in spoken
instructions while reading or writing simultaneously. When test changes are
necessary, either before or during the exam, please indicate those changes to
the class in writing.
- Students who are deaf
or hard of hearing sometimes experience language and reading deficiencies
because of the cultural differences in learning language and/or the hearing
impairment. With this in mind, most students experience difficulties and delays
in acquiring English language skills. Since reading ability is highly
correlated with prior English language knowledge, many students have
difficulties becoming proficient readers. A student may know the information
from the class, but may need a little extra time to read the questions and
write the answers to complete the test.
SDS may assist in providing exam accommodations if the student is
eligible for and requests this service.
- Closed-captioned videos
and films and written transcripts of movies and films are often helpful,
especially to the student who is deaf or hard of hearing and does not utilize
an interpreter. To determine if the video or film you want to show is closed
captioned, you will see the letters CC or the caption symbols on the case cover
or label. You may also check with the Library to see if certain movies or
videos are closed captioned.
If you are asked to use assistive technology as
part as an accommodation (e.g., assistive listening devices, microphones,
etc.), SDS will happily
provide you with training on the use of the technology.
