and close to any visual display being used. This enables the Deaf/HOH person to
face the same direction as everyone else. Let the interpreter and the student
work out the best position.
(d) Lighting: Good overhead lighting and a plain background are vital to enable
the student to see the interpreter, clearly, without distraction.
Working with an Interpreter
(a) Interpreter’s Role: The interpreter’s role is to facilitate communication, not to
participate. All information is interpreted so it is not necessary to say ‘tell
him/her…’ to the interpreter. If the student does not understand the lecturer, it is
his/her own responsibility to seek clarification, not the interpreter’s. The speaker,
likewise, should address and face the student(s) when speaking and not the
interpreter. Interpreters have a code of confidentiality and will not comment on
any situation in which they have been working.
(b) Translation: Allow for a ‘time lag’ in the interpreting process. Interpreters
using Irish Sign Language (ISL) need a time lag of a few seconds to translate
accurately from one language to another. Speak at your normal rate – the
interpreter will tell you if you need to slow down, pause or repeat a sentence. The
sentence should be repeated, as literally as possible, without paraphrasing.
(c) New Vocabulary: The interpreter may ask the lecturer to spell a name.
Speakers frequently use acronyms that may not be understood by the interpreter
or the student. It is helpful to spell out or explain an acronym when it is first used.
(d) Questions and Discussion: The speaker is responsible for recognising
questions from students as usual. The interpreter may point to the person asking
the question to inform the student who is speaking. In group discussions,
interpreters can only interpret for one speaker at a time. It is helpful if other
students are aware of this so that only one person speaks at any time.
Remember that the Deaf/HOH student will not receive the question until
slightly after other students because of the time lag in interpretation. Bear
this in mind when selecting questions.
Leaflet ref: 27SG0608
Teaching Strategies to use
with Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Students
Teaching Strategies
Advice for lecturers in higher education and tutors/Instructors in
Training Centres where some of the students are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing (HOH)
Many of the following points constitute good practice for all students,
whether Deaf or HOH, but they are particularly helpful to ensure that these
students, especially those who lipread, may participate fully and gain the
maximum benefit from your teaching.
Bear in mind that different teaching situations require different strategies to
ensure that students have full access to information. It is often necessary to
be adaptable.
Each Deaf/HOH student is different. Check with the student which
strategies would be most helpful. Also check to see if the student would
benefit from the use of any technical or human support which the institution
could provide.
Personal Delivery
Lipreading requires great concentration. Not all speech sounds are visible
and, for this reason, clear speech and contextual clues are vital for
understanding.
(a) Speech: Speak clearly and at a reasonable pace. Try to keep the
rhythm of your speech as natural as possible. Do not exaggerate or speak
too slowly as the rhythm of your speech will be lost and you will become
more difficult to lipread. Do not shout as this only distorts the sounds and lip
patterns for the lipreader. If in doubt, ask the lipreader if the pace is right.
(b) Visibility: To be able to lipread, the student needs to be able to see
your face. Try to keep beards and moustaches trimmed; do not cover your
mouth with pens, cigarettes, coffee cups or hands while speaking. Try not
to nod your head too much. Don’t speak while writing on the board or
walking around the room: this makes lipreading extremely difficult or
impossible.. Ensure that the light is on your face, i.e., do not stand in
front of a window or a light as this will leave your face in shadow.
(c) Face your student: Try to maintain eye contact when talking to a
Deaf/HOH student one-to-one (don’t do this if lecturing to a room full of
students!). Try to use expression in your face, as well as gesture, as this
helps to convey the sense of your words to a lipreader.
(d) Position: The Deaf/HOH person who is lipreading should be seated to
best advantage. S/he will know where best to sit. This will usually be a seat
Notes
Choice of Room
This can be vital to maximise the amount which a deaf/HOH student can gain
from a session.
(a) Lighting: Choose a room with good lighting which will be concentrated on
the speaker’s face. Rooms with windows, directly behind the speaker, are not
good as they will leave the speaker in shadow.
(b) Background Noise: Choose a quiet room without background noise from
traffic which may make it difficult to hear: hearing aid users are more distracted
by background noise than hearing people. If students are being divided into
groups for a session try not to put more than one group in a room as the
discussion of another group can make it difficult to receive what is being said,
nearby.
(c) Acoustics: Try to choose a room that has been acoustically treated.
Carpets, soft furnishings and ceilings which absorb sound all make it easier to
hear.
(d) Amplification Systems: Check that the room is suitable for any technical
equipment that may be used. Can the amplification system already installed be
used in conjunction with a portable loop or with a radio microphone system?
(e) Decoration: Try not to choose a room with sharp or distracting wallpaper or
notice boards behind the speaker. This can make it difficult to concentrate on
the spoken message. If necessary, use a screen behind the speaker.
How to use an Interpreter
Most of the following notes apply equally to the use of lipspeakers and
interpreters.
Preparation:
(a) Timing: Interpreting is demanding work and interpreters need a break after
about 30 minutes of continuous interpreting. This may mean that you will need
two interpreters if the lecture course is very intensive.
Lectures should be structured to include a short break half way.
(b) Advance Information: The interpreter should have some idea of how the
session will be used – lecture, seminar – and, if possible, be supplied with a
copy of the prepared text. If a video is being used. It is helpful for the interpreter
to see it in advance.
(c) Position: The interpreter should sit or stand close to the lecturer or speaker
For Deaf/HOH students, group discussions are probably the most difficult
situations to deal with. But there are ways of overcoming some of the
problems.
(a) Do not stand behind the student when s/he is working. Remember also
that the student cannot watch the work and lipread you at the same time.
(b) When teaching points arise during the session as a result of supervising
the work of other students, remember to attract the Deaf/HOH student’s
attention before speaking.
(c) Make sure that the student can see clearly what you are saying and
doing when giving demonstrations.
near the front, slightly to one side of the speaker (the optimum distance for
lipreading is between 3-6 feet).
(e) Distractions: try to keep light-reflection or sparkling jewellery to a
minimum. Try also to dress in a way which doesn’t distract the lipreader:
very sharp and vivid colours, checks, stripes and dots can make
concentration difficult.
(f) Gaining Attention: be sure to gain the Deaf/HOH person’s attention
before you start speaking. Try to do this without startling him/her. Wave
your hand at the student, flash the lights on and off or, if necessary, ask the
person’s neighbour to tap the shoulder or arm to alert him/her. Don’t come
from behind and startle the student unnecessarily.
Fieldwork and Placements
Presentation
Practicals, Lab & Studio Work
Special provision may have to be made for students on field trips or on
placements. A student who copes well with lipreading in a lecture theatre
may be quite unable to manage without further support when on a windy
beach or moor or in a noisy factory. Be flexible and talk through the
possible options and solutions with the student, well in advance, to avoid
problems.
Timetabling
Rearranging the timetable slightly can make an enormous difference to a
Deaf/HOH student. Examples are given below.
(a) Lectures: Try not to fill an entire day with contact teaching. Lipreading
is tiring and a few hours every day is best.
(b) Tutorials: If the student uses an interpreter or communicator,
remember that this needs to be taken into account in the timing of tutorials.
Try to arrange the tutorial on a day when the interpreter will be coming in,
anyway. Try not to arrange the tutorial for the middle of the day as this may
entail paying for an entire day of interpreting. Do not change times at the
last minute as it may not be possible to rearrange an interpreter at short
notice.
(a) Context: Before starting a discussion or when changing the subject let
the Deaf/HOH person know the topic being discussed, perhaps by writing
up the title on the board. Lipreading is much easier when the subject or
context is known.
(b) Structure: Try to follow a logical structure for your session as this
makes lipreading easier to follow. It is also helpful if time can be taken
every now and then to review the ground already covered. If possible, let
the student have a copy of your written notes before the lecture as
this will help with following an argument.
(c) Pace: Try to allow a little extra time for the Deaf/HOH student to
assimilate information and respond before going on to the next stage. Try to
break the session up so that the student is not lipreading for long periods at
a time. The best break for a lipreader is a brief pause, perhaps mid-lecture
when students are looking at a slide, receiving handouts, etc., when it is
clear that there is no lipreading necessary and the student can afford to let
his/her eyes wander without missing anything vital.
(d) Contributions: Questions and contributions from elsewhere in the
room, especially if they are from behind the student or if the student is using
a radio microphone or loop system, will not be heard. Repeat the question
before going on to answer it.
Use of Visual Aids
Visual aids can be a great help to Deaf/HOH people but they also need to
be well prepared and used appropriately.
(a) Vital Information – the written word: Write out vital information such
as changes of meeting time or venue on the board or overhead projector
(OHP) or screen to make sure that the Deaf/HOH person is not left out. All
dates, times and statistical information should be written up. All names of
people and places should appear in writing also as they are the most
difficult words to lipread.
(b) New Vocabulary: Try to provide new vocabulary in advance or write it
on the board or OHP. Unknown words are impossible to lipread.
(c) Reading Time: When using OHPs, PowerPoint, boards or flipcharts,
allow the students time to read what is written before starting to speak
again. It is not possible to read and lipread at the same time!
(d) Boards and Flipcharts: Try not to speak when writing on the board or
flipchart. Students cannot lipread the back of your head.
(e) Overhead Projectors and PowerPoint: These can be particularly
helpful because the lecturer can continue to face students throughout the
session. Remember that some OHPs can be noisy which may be difficult
for those who use hearing aids.
(f) PowerPoint slides: When using slides in a darkened room, leave a
curtain open or a spotlight on the speaker/interpreter or turn up the lights
again before beginning the commentary.
(g) Videos, DVDs and Tapes: Try to use subtitled videos/DVDs where
possible, or obtain a transcript of the commentary. Even a brief outline will
help the Deaf/HOH student to follow the session.
Lectures
(a) Handouts: Well-prepared handouts, provided in advance to allow
reading time, will increase the amount that a Deaf/HOH student gains from
your lecture. If this is not possible, try to give the student copies of your own
notes, even if they are very rough. This helps by introducing new
vocabulary and by alerting the student to the structure of the lecture. If this
is not possible and if no notetaker is available, find another student
(preferably one who makes good notes!) who can photocopy their notes for
the Deaf/HOH student. Alternatively, the hearing student can use a carbon
notepad to provide an instant copy.
(b) Position: Try to stay in the same place and not move around while you
are talking.
(c) Booklists: Make sure that you give the deaf/HOH student relevant
booklists well before the start of the course. A Deaf/HOH student may rely
more heavily on text books than lectures so easy availability is a great
help.
Seminars
A variety of different situations can arise in practical sessions and it is
impossible to cover all of them here. However, three examples are provided
below.
(a) Size: The optimum size of group for a Deaf/HOH person is between 6
and 10. If a group is bigger than this it is unlikely that people will be near
enough to lipread and following contributions to discussion becomes more
complicated. Try to be flexible with the timetable to ensure that, as far as
possible, any Deaf/HOH students are members of the smaller groups.
(b) Seating: Arrange the room so that the student can see everyone by
putting chairs in a circle or horseshoe shape. Make sure no one is
silhouetted against the light. The student may like to sit next to the Chair as
comments will be addressed that way, or next to a notetaker so that s/he
can pick up on missed discussion and follow changes in subject.
(c) Chairing: Allow the Deaf/HOH student to take his/her share of chairing
the discussion. When someone else is chairing, make sure that this person
controls the discussion, encourages mumblers to speak clearly and
prevents unnecessary interruptions when people are speaking. It is
particularly important, in group discussions, that other students take turns
speaking and allow the student who is Deaf/HOH time to look in their
direction before starting to speak.
(d) Equipment: If the student is using a radio microphone or loop system,
remember that all contributors to the discussion will need to speak into the
microphone. Ensure that this is known to the group before discussion
starts.