Obstacles That Hard of Hearing or Deaf Students Face

Hard of Hearing students usually can understand speech through a combination of personal hearing aids and their ability to read lips; however they still face obstacle to learning in the classroom.  They often have trouble following lectures especially in a room with poor acoustics (like background noise from cooling systems).  Also, if teachers move around the room or turn their back to write on the board, the student may not hear.  Finally, videos and class discussions can be difficult to hear.

 

Deaf students are typically not highly skilled or comfortable with speaking and communicate primarily through American Sign Language.  These students require a sign language interpreter to communicate with non-signers in order to particpate in school.

In my classroom, I have had a few students who were hard of hearing.  These definitions serve to remind me that during discussions or lectures to ask students about their amplification systems.  Despite teaching high school students, some are still reluctant to ask me to where the assistive technology.  This serves to remind me to take initiative with those with hearing challenges.

Source: Dell, A; Newton, G and Petroff, J.  (2012).  Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experience of Students with Disabilities. Pearson Education.