Teaching Children with Hearing Impairment

There is a range of inclusive teaching strategies that can assist all students to learn but there are some specific strategies that are useful in teaching a group which includes students with hearing impairment.
Encourage students with hearing impairment to seat themselves toward the front of the lecture theatre where they will have an unobstructed line of vision. This is particularly important if the student is using an interpreter, lip-reading, relying on visual clues or using a hearing aid which has a limited range.
Use the FM (frequency modulation) hearing system or induction loop if these are available in the lecture theatre. Hearing aids may include transmitter/receiver systems with a clip-on microphone for the lecturer. If using such a microphone it is not necessary to change your speaking or teaching style.
Ensure that any background noise is minimized.
Repeat clearly any questions asked by students in the lecture or class before giving a response.
Do not speak when facing the blackboard. Be aware that moustaches, beards, hands, books or microphones in front of your face can add to the difficulties of lip-readers.
Students who lip-read cannot function in darkened rooms.
You may need to adjust the lighting in your teaching environment. If a sign interpreter is employed, follow the hints for working with a sign interpreter.
It is difficult for a student watching a signer to also take notes from an overhead or blackboard. Neither is a signer able to translate, at the same time, both your words and any information given on an overhead. It is important then that all information should be available in handout.
Provide written materials to supplement all lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions.
Announcements made regarding class times, activities, field work, industry visits etc. should be given in writing as well as verbally.
Allow students to record lectures or, preferably, make copies of your lecture notes available. Flexible delivery of teaching materials via electronic media is also particularly helpful for students who have difficulty accessing information in the usual ways. For deaf students, new technology and the internet in particular, can be used to bridge many gaps.
Ensure that lists of the subject-specific jargon and technical terms which students will need to acquire are made available early in the course.
Any videos or films used should, where possible, be captioned. When this is not possible, you will need to consider alternative ways for students with hearing impairment to access the information.
In tutorials, assist students who lip-read by having the student sit directly opposite you and ensure, if possible, that they can see all other participants. Control the discussion so that only one person is speaking at a time.
Students with hearing impairment, especially those with an associated speech disorder, may prefer to have another student present their tutorial papers.
Language abilities are often affected by hearing impairment. Many students with hearing impairment have lower reading levels, and a limited vocabulary, particularly those deafened in childhood. Provide reading lists well before the start of a course so that students with hearing impairment can begin reading early. Consider tailoring these reading lists when necessary, and provide guidance to key texts.
Allow assignments or reviews to be completed on an in-depth study of a few texts rather than a broad study of many.
Do not make students over-anxious about making mistakes, asking questions, getting through the work or meeting learning goals. It may be helpful for students with a hearing impairment to have an individual orientation to laboratory equipment or computers to minimize anxiety, particularly in cases where class sizes are large and where it may be difficult to see or hear the demonstrator.