A while back, I developed a proposal for one of the universities in Ukraine that is exploring the possibility of admitting deaf students. Below is a variation of the proposal that I submitted. Obviously, this is structured to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students and should not be considered an exhaustive list of academic supports. Students of every disability can succeed in higher education and should be given equal access to universities and other post-secondary institutions in general. Therefore, depending on the specific needs of each individual (blind students or those with learning disabilities, for instance), additional supports not mentioned here may be needed. Actually, I have noticed that in Ukraine, some post-secondary programs seem to lean towards admitting certain groups of students with disabilities. Fortunately, Vinnytsia Institute of Economics and Social Sciences is more open and admits students with a range of disabilities, so there is hope that practices are changing.
While it is essential that Ukrainian universities begin the
process of developing inclusive education programs, it is not enough to simply
admit students with disabilities. While
placing students with disabilities in university classrooms may be considered a
form of integration, it is not inclusion (Ivanyuk, 2007). Inclusion is a philosophy
and process that allows all students to participate in all academic and
extra-curriculum programs (Ivanyuk, 2007; Krsek, 2012; UNICEF, 2011). Furthermore, in order for individuals with
disabilities to succeed in higher education, a university must develop critical
support systems and services for these students. Academic support services and classroom
accommodations aim to provide deaf and hard of hearing students equal access to
the same instructional content as their peers without disabilities (Cawthon,
Schoffstall, Garberoglio, 2014), which provides students with special
educational needs with full and unfettered access to the curriculum. These supports and accommodations equalize
educational opportunities for students with disabilities and facilitate their
academic success. It is critical to
remember that success will not occur by merely placing students with special needs in
university classes. In cases
where students with disabilities have been admitted to universities without
being provided support, the consequences have been failure, which is then used
as evidence against inclusive education.
In the United States, deaf students hard of hearing students in
successful inclusion programs are provided the following supports to facilitate
learning during their studies:
·
Resource
centers: These are safe and quiet environments where students with
disabilities can meet with their academic advisors, study or do research. Additionally, these centers are equipped with
a range of resources such as Wi-Fi, computers, books, a video/CD library, and
other helpful materials.
·
Academic
tutoring, Many deaf and hard of hearing students benefit from tutors
who can help them master course content and prepare for exams (Brooks, 1999;
Gardner, Barr, & Lachs, 2001). Tutoring services can be provided in the university
Resource Center.
·
Metacognitive
Strategies: Metacognition is
literally “thinking about thinking," or "knowing about knowing,” and
students skilled in metacognition have a keen awareness of self-learning. It is a critical skill that Fox (1994)
suggested should be included in a program of academic supports for students who
are deaf or hard of hearing. Benedict, Rivera
and Antia (2015) found that deaf students can be taught metacognitive
strategies to improve reading comprehension, a critical skill in any higher
education program. Students skilled in
metacognitive skills self-monitor during the learning process and identify
intervention strategies when they realize they do not understand the
material. They also self-evaluate their
thinking and comprehension after completing learning tasks.
·
Testing
accommodations: These
accommodations may include extended testing time, a quiet testing environment, a
test administrator familiar with the student, an interpreter, or the use of a
scribe or computer, which may be more effective for the student than hand
written answers (Cawthon, Schoffstall, Garberoglio, 2014).
·
Sign
language interpreters: Sign
language interpreters are critical in providing equal access to the curriculum,
lectures, and class discussions (Cawthon, Schoffstall, Garberoglio, 2014).
·
Note
takers: Deaf and hard of hearing
students frequently benefit from classroom note takers. (Brooks, 1999; Cawthon, Schoffstall,
Garberoglio, 2014). These are dependable and competent classmates who volunteer
to share their written or word processed lecture notes with deaf and hard of
hearing peers. It is very difficult for
individuals with hearing loss to watch a sign language interpreter or speech
read a lecturer while simultaneously taking notes. Hearing students can look down at their copy
books or laptops while listening to the professors, but deaf and hard hearing
students cannot.
·
Braille
and large print materials for deaf-blind students. Deaf and hard of
hearing students with visual impairments require materials modified in Braille
or printed in large type (Cawthon, Schoffstall, Garberoglio, 2014).
·
Captioned
video presentations: When showing videos in class, it is necessary that
they are captioned, which will provide deaf and hard hearing students access to
the information presented in the video (Gardner, Barr, & Lachs, 2001; Cawthon,
Schoffstall, Garberoglio, 2014).
·
Captioning
services: Another important support is real time captioning, or speech
to text, whereby a speaker's lecture is immediately projected in text on either
a student’s laptop or onto a projection screen for large audiences by skilled
stenographers. A printout of the lecture
text can be made available to the deaf and hard of hearing students following
the presentation (Gardner, Barr, & Lachs, 2001).
·
Audiological
services and digital hearing aids: Many deaf and hard of hearing
students benefit from the use of digital hearing aids, but to be effective these
should be individually fitted by fully trained and licensed audiologists. In order to succeed, students must have
access to the curriculum, but that access will be denied if they cannot
effectively hear in class.
·
Environmental
modifications: Many classrooms
have very poor acoustics. To improve the
listening environment for deaf and hard of hearing students, the following
modifications can be made: acoustic
ceiling tiles, carpeting, and drapes to minimize disrupting environmental noise
and providing appropriate lighting to effectively illuminate a speaker’s face
(Gardner, Barr, & Lachs, 2001).
·
Priority
seating: This extremely helpful
accommodation allows the student who is deaf or hard of hearing to determine
the best seating arrangement depending on his or her individual needs. For the
majority of students with hearing loss, sitting in the front row of the classroom
provides the best opportunity for visual learning. This is particularly helpful for deaf students
using a sign language interpreter. Hard
of hearing students benefit from front row seating, because it allows them to
better hear the instructor's voice and see his or her face for more effective
speechreading (Brooks, 1999; ).
·
Assistive
listening devices and amplification: There are a number of technologies
that help deaf and, in particular, hard of hearing students hear better in
classrooms, some of which, incidentally, benefit hearing students, as well. These technologies include wireless FM systems, which send the teacher’s voice from a microphone he or
she wears directly to the student’s hearing aids via radio waves; infrared devices, in which a
transmitter converts sound into a light signals and transmits it to a receiver
that is worn by a student before sending the sound to a his or her hearing aids;
induction loop systems, whereby a
coil of wire around a room or under carpeting uses electromagnetic energy to
transmit sounds from a microphone to hearing aids or loudspeakers (Brooks, 1999;
Gardner, Barr, & Lachs, 2001) and sound
field systems, which integrate loudspeakers with a wireless microphone. As a
teacher talks into a microphone his or her voice is transmitted to a
specialized receiver/amplifier connected to a loudspeaker assembly mounted on a
wall or ceiling (Ross, 2001).
·
Visual
aids: Visual aids are extremely important in providing full access to
the curriculum for students with hearing loss who generally require a visual
learning experience. Examples include videos,
PowerPoint slides, pictures or photographs.
Instructors can also provide printed materials to reinforce information and
content that is discussed in class, such as chapter outlines, study guides, and
lecture overviews (Brooks, 1999). The
more visual a lesson is, the more a deaf or hard of hearing student will
benefit.
·
Accessibility
to TTYs: These telecommunication
devices for deaf and speech impaired individuals are an important means of
making phone calls and reducing dependence on others, and they are especially
critical in emergency situations. These
can be located in offices and/or the Resource Center.
·
Emergency
alert systems: These devices are
a critical means of alerting students when there is a life threatening
emergency in the area. They consist of bright
flashing lights that deaf students can see in the event of a fire, preventing
tragic loss of life. In the U.S., visual
emergency alert systems are required by law in all college and university
buildings (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990).
·
Laptop
Computers: Laptops are a
critical tool in contemporary education. They can be used to store course
lecture notes, write papers, and conduct research beyond the walls of their
universities, and for deaf and hard of hearing students, they are a necessary
means of communication. Professors often
may not be able to sign, but the laptops can become critical tools which allow
professors and students to communicate with each other effortlessly, breaking
down barriers and providing students with limitless access to the curriculum on
equal footing with hearing students.
In addition to these direct student support services, there
are a number of other indirect supports and university conditions that must be
met for a higher education inclusion program to be successful.
Accepting and
Supportive Environment:
Fostering a supportive and welcoming environment is just as
critical as providing physical and academic supports. The university environment must be
encouraging and promote unconditional acceptance of all students. It is essential that faculty, staff and
students espouse a university-wide philosophy that all students should learn
together, wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they
may have (Krsek, 2012). Furthermore, it
is important that faculty and staff value the presence and contributions of students
with special needs as much as they do the other students. They must also accept that deaf and hard of
hearing students learn differently, and it is important for instructors to be
willing to design lessons compatible with the learning styles of these students.
Training for
University Instructors:
Additionally, it is important to educate administrators, faculty, and
staff about the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students. In most Ukrainian universities, members of
the faculty are unprepared to work effectively with students with disabilities. Consequently, there is a critical need to prepare
professors and teachers for this student population. “To advance inclusion in higher education
settings, training must be provided for instructors so they are better able to
meet the individual needs of students” (Raver-Lampman & Kolchenko, 2007, p.
50).
Remedial Courses:
It is also important to have an understanding that deaf and
hard of hearing students will come to universities academically unprepared, not
because they are incapable, but because they have not been provided an
appropriate curriculum in elementary and high school, which would have prepared
them for higher education. Universities
should take into consideration that most students with disabilities didn’t go
to school with their peers without disabilities, but rather attended segregated
special schools. Segregation during elementary
and secondary school negatively impacts deaf and hard of hearing students’
academic development and readiness for postsecondary programs. Colleges and universities must accept deaf
and hard of hearing students’ lack of preparation and instead of using it as an
excuse to deny equal educational opportunities to them, should instead offer
these students carefully developed remedial courses during their first
year to prepare them for university classes and facilitate their success.
Transistion Plans:
It will also be important for universities to work with high
schools to help develop postsecondary transition plans for
deaf and hard of hearing high school students to help prepare them for
university before they arrive on campus.
Transition plans for high school students with disabilities are required
by law in the U.S., but not currently in Ukraine. Consequently, postsecondary transition plans
are not normally written for Ukrainian deaf and hard of hearing students. The present lack of transition planning
should not prevent Ukrainian universities from admitting deaf and hard of
hearing students, as the need for developing inclusive programming is absolutely
critical and should not be delayed.
Sign Langauge
Courses:
Many universities in the United States offer sign language
courses to all students as a foreign language option or a cultural
elective. This helps develop a
barrier-free communication environment, giving hearing and deaf students the
opportunity to communicate with each other.
Teaching the other students sign language improves socialization among
deaf and hearing students, fostering cooperation and allowing friendships to
develop, which in turn helps deaf students’ integration within the university
community. This also helps deaf students
to improve their social skills, while at the time teaching hearing students
that it is okay to be different. An
integrated social environment helps students without disabilities see that
individual differences among peers is normal.
Belief in Equal
Educational Rights of Students with Disabilities:
Faculty and administrators in successful inclusion programs
espouse a sincere belief and a strong vision that deaf and hard of hearing students
have the same academic potential and educational rights as all other
students. This entails a rejection of
the stereotypical practice of limiting deaf and hard of hearing students to
manual vocational training programs, allowing them to participate in the same
academic programs as their peers. Dr.
Olga Krsek at V. Dahl EUNU constantly reminds other Ukrainian administrators
and professors that the role of universities is to train deaf and hard of
hearing students’ minds for a future of independence, not their hands. It is also
important to remember that opening the doors of higher education to individuals
with disabilities is a basic human right (UNICEF, 2011).
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