Deaf and Hard ofhearing students accessing foreign languages

Hearing loss can occur at any age, with the degree ranging from mild to significant. Each individual’s adjustment to being Deaf or hard of hearing is different, depending on the degree and type of hearing loss, the age of onset, family and community support, access to communication tools and individual coping skills. Some people with hearing loss can be assisted by hearing aids or other listening devices. People with mild hearing loss may be able to participate in group and individual conversations with little adaptation.

People with more significant hearing loss usually have difficulty understanding speech from a distance of more than a few feet and may not be able to follow group conversations, with or without the aid of an amplifier. People with profound hearing disabilities often cannot interpret oral language and speech, even with amplification of sound. In the United States, the two main approaches to signed language for Deaf individuals are American Sign Language (ASL) and Manual or Exact Signed English. ASL has its own grammar, vocabulary and syntax; Manual or Exact Signed English uses signs but is based on English word order and grammar. Many people who are Deaf do not consider themselves to be disabled. Rather, they base their identity on the fact that they share a visual language and a unique culture.

The following are suggestions for teachers, sign language interpreters, speech-to-text providers and students who are Deaf or hard of hearing in accessing the foreign language classroom.

How to Teach English Pronunciation for the Deaf and Hard of hearingShare

Working with hearing impaired students on communication skills is an enterprise that includes listening, speaking, signing and reading, and which incorporates all of a child's senses in order to gather and understand information. While certain speech exercises can help parents and tutors better learn how to teach English pronunciation to hearing impaired children, the expertise of a trained speech therapist is usually necessary to help children who are deaf or hard of hearing fully participate and engage in a mainstream classroom or social environment.

Reading and Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing face unique challenges when reading, particularly those youngsters who have been deaf since birth. Yet with targeted interventions and accommodations in reading instruction and assessment, students who are deaf or hard of hearing can become proficient readers. Understanding the characteristics of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as the communities in which they live, is an important step toward developing effective instruction and appropriate assessment for these students.

This part is intended to begin a discussion of the issues surrounding reading and students who are deaf or hard of hearing. This part provides: an overview of the characteristics of students who are deaf or hard of hearing, a description of common approaches to communication and reading instruction, and assessment approaches and issues that surround the assessment of reading for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.