Approximately 28 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. Approximately 2 million are profoundly deaf. Individuals who have a severe or profound hearing loss that has existed since before they learned language will obviously have the most trouble with spoken language – as they have never heard it before. The first language for these and many other Americans may be American Sign Language (ASL). They must learn English as a second or even a third language.

Strategies for Success

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people use a variety of devices and techniques to augment their aural capacity, such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and lip-reading. However, depending on the nature of the impairment, hearing aids and cochlear implants may not help. And no matter the level of the skill with which it is done, lip-reading only aids in understanding 30 to 40 percent of spoken English.

To maximize their college experience, deaf and hard of hearing students often utilize interpreting, captioning and/or note-taking services for their classes, and extended time on exams. These services which are mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are usually coordinated through the office of disability services on campus in collaboration with faculty. In order to be truly effective, these accommodations must be made in cooperation with professors. In general, students and professors work out arrangements for things like test-taking. The office of disability services gets involved when an agreement cannot be reached and is always available to provide guidance.

Best Practices:

* The interpreter should sit or stand near you so that you and the interpreter are within the deaf student’s range of vision.
* Allow the student to sit where s/he can most easily see you, the interpreter and the board or screen.
* Provide copies of the syllabus, power point presentations, or other hand- outs for the interpreter, note-taker or captionist as far in advance as possible to insure that the interpreter has time to prepare and provide the best services for you and your students with the least inconvenience.
* Make sure any films you show are captioned or subtitled.
* Don’t speak and demonstrate at the same time. Just as you cannot hold a conversation and memorize a piece of music at the same time, a person using a visual language like ASL cannot take in verbal instructions and watch a demonstration at the same time.

It is certainly a unique experience to talk to someone through someone else, but if you follow some simple guidelines, your interactions with your deaf students can go quite smoothly. Speak directly to the student. Yes, it is the interpreter who is hearing what you are saying. And it is the interpreter the student will look to for translation. But it is the student you are communicating with and if you direct your words to the student, and listen to what he/she is saying as if it were coming from their own mouth, you'll find that you and the student -- as well as the interpreter -- will have much more productive interactions.