Challenges

Big Issues

Hearing is not the same as understanding. People who are Deaf/ hard of hearing will often misunderstand spoken words and/ or the tone of the message, as well as perceive sounds as further away than they are. To learn more, click here.
Personal amplification devices make everything louder, but not always clearer.
Encourage the student to ask for clarification and to self advocate, as these will become lifelong coping strategies.
A student with a hearing loss will not know that they have missed information if they didn't hear it in the first place.

(1) The person speaking is not facing them

- Solution: Always face the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing when in conversation or giving instructions, so they can lipread and look at your facial expressions to decipher meaning from spoken language. Directing your voice towards the student will help them have more access (versus speaking towards the whiteboard as you write notes, for example).

(2) Not knowing who is talking during group discussions

- Solution: Say the name of the student speaking and point the attention of the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing towards whoever is speaking, so they can look at them while they talk.

(3) Difficulty understanding anything coming from a speaker (e.g. announcements, video, audio recordings)

- Solution: Repeat key details of important announcements to students who are Deaf/ hard of hearing, turn on closed captioning when playing videos, and invite them to sit close to the speaker in the classroom while playing the audio recording. Students using remote microphone systems might also be able to get direct audio input from the classroom audio system, which the Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and FM Technologist can provide support with.

(4) Listening while doing another task (e.g. note taking, watching a video, etc.)

- Solution: Ensure you have the attention of the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing before introducing new instructions.

(5) More than one person talking at a time

- Solution: Help manage background conversations in the classroom anytime you are giving important instructions.

(6) Background noise (fans, hallway noise, others talking etc.)

- Solution: Reduce background noise as much as possible (e.g. close the classroom door when the hallway is noisy) and invite the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing to sit away from sources of distracting noise (e.g. fan, open window, etc.).

(7) People expecting a response too quickly

- Solution: Give extra time to students who are Deaf/ hard of hearing to answer questions after you ask them, as it takes them longer to process auditory information. Depending on the student, it might also by helpful to repeat or rephrase your question.

(8) Teachers forgetting to MUTE the remote microphone system when necessary

- Solution: Always mute the remote microphone system when having any conversations that the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing does not need to hear (e.g. speaking with other students, speaking to a colleague, etc.).

(9) Fatigue at the end of the day (due to extra effort needed to listen)

- Solution: Build listening breaks into the routine of students who are Deaf/ hard of hearing if you are noticing fatigue.

(10) Challenges with making social connections

- Solution: Encourage the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing to self advocate and ask for their hearing rights to be respected (e.g. ask peers to stand close to them while in conversation, ask for messages or jokes they missed to be repeated, etc.). Roleplay social situations with the student to help teach them communication repair strategies.

(11) Listening to someone more than 2 metres away

- Solution: Stand in close proximity to the student who is Deaf/ hard of hearing whenever you are engaged in conversation with them.

(12) Possible issues with balance, as the vestibular system can be impacted by hearing

- Solution: Regularly check in with students who are Deaf/ hard of hearing during physical activities that require balance to ensure they feel supported and modify expectations if they are not comfortable completing the task safely.