Deaf/HOH Accessibility
"A common pitfall is to remember to avoid is one size fits all approach." - Zainab Alkebsi, National Association of the Deaf Attorney
- American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter
- Auditory Preferential Seating
- CART or real-time captioning
- Closed Captioning
- Copies of lecture materials provided to student (PowerPoint presentations, etc.)
- Pictures of board taken by the student
- Smartphone Apps
- Student notetaker
- Text phones or video relay services
- Time allowances -- Student may require extended time to complete examination.
- Written memos
- National Deaf Center on Postsecondary OutcomesThe NDC began in 2017 and is a technical assistance and dissemination center under the US Department of Education. Their website provides information to better understand the needs and accommodations necessary for Deaf/Hard of Hearing students to succeed in the university setting. Real-world examples and references to laws and regulations allow for a better working knowledge of what is important for Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals to have equal opportunity and access in postsecondary institutions.
- National Association of the Deaf"Established in 1880 the NAD is a non-profit civil rights organization of, by and for Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals in the U.S. The advocacy scope of the NAD touches on areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more."
- Communicating with Deaf/HOH PersonsThere are many different ways to communicate with a Deaf person, here are a few tips.
- Terms for Deaf, Deafness and Hard of Hearing PeopleNot all hearing disabilities are equal, and a person’s hearing level dictates how they manage life both inside and outside the classroom. The next few sections explain the different degrees of hearing loss, as well as define the following three commonly used terms: deaf, deafness and hard of hearing.
Deaf/HOH Communication
Not all Deaf and hard-of-hearing students use American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. A student’s preferred communication method -- whether live captioning, closed captioning, interpreting or lipreading and voicing -- depends both on the student and the kind of class.
Apps for Deaf and HOH
- Apps for Communicating with Deaf/HOH PersonsSometimes all the smart technology and screens can seem overwhelming and even distracting. However, technology has a lot of significant pros when it comes to helping the hard-of-hearing and deaf communities. Thanks to incredibly talented app developers, you can use mobile applications on your smartphone to help make conversations feel effortless.