Teaching Students with Hearing Impairments
 From the February 2002 Education newsletter.
"A student [with a hearing impairment] may not be getting the information you think they are," says Jeanne Prickett, Administrator of the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind. Dr. Prickett implores teachers and school administrators to address the needs of students with hearing impairments to ensure the students can participate in class activities and lessons as fully as possible.
For specific suggestions on how to accomplish this in your school, see Dr. Prickett's advice below:
- Introduce unfamiliar words to a student with a hearing impairment before the terms are used to present a concept. For example, a biology lesson about the circulatory system may contain some terms that a student has never seen before.
- An interpreter fluent in sign language should be used when needed in inclusive settings. Dr. Prickett recommends rotating at least two during the day, since interpreters need an occasional break to stay sharp.
- Make sure a student with a hearing impairment can see the teacher and blackboard clearly. Also make sure that the sun does not get in their eyes, as people with hearing impairments usually rely on their eyesight to understand events around them. Dr. Prickett recommends giving students with hearing impairments a short break every hour to give their eyes a rest.
- Teachers should be careful not to speak away from the direction of the student, especially while they write on the blackboard. The lights should be completely turned on, and the windows should be closed if it is noisy outside to allow a child with partial hearing to decipher what is being said in the classroom.
- During cooperative learning activities, arrange the seating so that the child with a hearing impairment and the interpreter (if one is used) can see everyone in the group. Dr. Prickett says the horseshoe arrangement works best for clear viewing and minimizing any light or sun glare.
- Make sure that students raise their hands to speak, so a student with a hearing impairment can see who's speaking, and to make sure only one child talks at a time, to help the child's interpreter. "Controlling participation and the flow of activity is critical," Dr. Prickett says.
- To promote peer relationships, Dr. Prickett recommends letting students work in small groups so that a student with a hearing impairment can get to know classmates. One option that is rarely used is to teach sign language to the other students to facilitate communication.
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