Strategies for working with students who are deaf

Background

Students make their own decision about identity as Deaf or Hearing Impaired. This is not always according to their degree of deafness. Some profoundly deaf students may see themselves as hearing impaired and some moderately deaf students may see themselves as Deaf.

General

Be aware that some deaf students identify with the Deaf community as a cultural group and familiarise yourself with this concept and aspects of Deaf culture.
Get an interpreter if possible.
Know the role of the Educational Interpreter. Speak to the student, not the interpreter.
If you can’t get an interpreter, try fingerspelling, sign language, gesture or a note.
Get the student’s attention by tapping their arm or waving your hand gently within vision.
Face the student and be at the same eye level if possible.
Keep your lips visible.
Move into the light so the light is shining on your face and not into their eyes.
Don’t shout, speak normally but clearly.
Give cues, visual prompts.
Write it down, ask the student to write.
Be aware that some deaf students will find written English a challenge.
Be aware that deaf students are usually visual learners and may well think and approach tasks in a different way to hearing students.
Be patient, be prepared to keep trying.

Whole class

Wait until you have everyone’s attention (eye contact) before beginning to speak.
Make it a whole class responsibility to alert the deaf student of the need to look up.
Stand still while talking, facing the class.
Whole class discussions are best done in a circle to give the students a chance to see everyone’s face as they speak.
Use written prompts, eg. a list of tasks on the board.
Separate your instructions/talking from writing to allow the student to look at the interpreter and then the written information rather than trying to do both at once.
If notetaking is essential, arrange to photocopy a hearing student’s notes so that the deaf student is free to watch the interpreter.
When reading aloud, separate telling and showing. Read from the book first without showing the pictures and when you have finished reading the page, turn the book around to show the pictures. This allows the student to give full attention to both, rather than trying to divide their attention between both.
Be aware that deaf students become very tired from intensive watching
- Break up talking time with varied activities.
- Avoid intensive talking times late in the day.
- Back up talking with written prompts where possible.
Lead by example in your appropriate dealings with the deaf student.

Teacher to Student

Have the same general expectations for your deaf student as you do for any other student.
The Teacher of the Deaf will advise you about the allowances you might need to make for individual students, these will most likely be in relation to oral/aural work and English skills.
Include specific teaching on any areas you note to be problematic between hearing and deaf members of your class such as cultural or communication issues.
Focus on specific content based learning goals e.g. when writing a science report, focus on content rather than the English it’s presented in. Talk to your Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) about alternatives such as: a verbal report; or the report being translated by the ToD.

Student to Student

Encourage all students to communicate directly with the deaf student.
Encourage each student to use the method with which they feel most comfortable; using any signing skills they have or using the interpreter.
Assist the hearing students to understand that although they consider themselves to be able to communicate adequately in sign, the deaf student may not share their opinion and prefer to use an interpreter. This is the deaf student’s prerogative.
Encourage the students to view the deaf student as just being different and having different needs and challenges rather than deviant, special or remedial.

Fostering Independence

Expect the deaf students to take responsibility for their own learning.
Expect the deaf students to pay full attention when you are giving instructions or information. Do not allow them get into the habit of blanking out and expecting a private tutorial later!
Encourage students to ask for help or a repeat of instructions if necessary, as even with their best efforts there may be comprehension difficulties.

Social Inclusion

Have the same behavioural standards and consequences for all students in the class.
Use every opportunity to make hearing and deaf aware of cultural similarities and differences. This can be done in a positive and factual way. Neither is "better," only different.
Talk openly about problems as they arise and explain as fully as you can. (David doesn’t like it when you tap him all the time, one tap on the shoulder is enough." "The other students don’t like it when you bang on the table, hearing people find it rude.")
Take opportunities to publicly recognise individual student’s strengths in front of their peers.

Specific educational differences

Deafness does not imply any other disability. Additional special needs are present to the same degree as the regular hearing population so a small number of deaf students will have additional needs.
Deaf students will be much like any other student except for cultural differences and the fact that there is no aural component to their lives or learning.
Deaf students use Auslan as their first language and identify to varying degrees with the Deaf community and Deaf culture. They learn English as a second language through literacy.
Most deaf students will have age appropriate language skills in their first language, Auslan. Their English is likely to be delayed in comparison to their peers but the gap narrows as their education progresses.
Some deaf students will have delayed language development and literacy difficulties which will impact on other areas such as numeracy development.
Deaf students who learn English as a second language through literacy are likely to be withdrawn from the classroom for literacy times in order to study English through the methods most appropriate to them.
Other curriculum areas cannot be covered while the deaf student is absent and it is a good time to cover activities not suitable for the deaf student.
Most deaf students will be able to participate in every area of the curriculum, with the likely exceptions of Music and Poetry, to be decided on an individual basis.
If it is agreed that the deaf student will not participate in certain subject areas, the replacement activities should be carefully considered, in consultation with all concerned and coordinated by the Teacher of the Deaf.
Some deaf students may have some speech ability and participate in a Speech Pathology program. You may be made aware of their speech targets and asked to follow them up on an incidental basis in the classroom as a speech environment.

Author: Kirsten O'Halloran, 2002