Students with impairments
There are many Deaf students in my school. It is important to treat them as you would the other students. An impairment is not an excuse for rude behavior in the classroom.
Sandra,
Thanks for sharing. I'm sure that your students appreciate your attentiveness.
Sarah Smoger
This is the first time I have ever had a Deaf student in my class. I am very careful to look at her directly and not the interpreter. I want her to feel welcome and be treated as any other student in class.
Craig,
Absolutely. Check out the Federation for the Deaf or other local community resources-many offer advice and tips for working and teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students. I utilized local resources within my area to create a "guide" for faculty when teaching or working with deaf and hard-of-hearing students which has been well-received.
Sarah Smoger
I had three deaf students in my class. An important aspect to make them feel comfortable is to address them and not the interpreter.
Timothy,
One of my favorite quotes from the movie "The King and I" comes at the beginning of the song "Getting to Know You" when Anna sings, "It is a very ancient saying, but a true and honest thought, that when you become a teacher by your pupils you'll be taught." I think you just said the same thing in your own words!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
as instuctor of the year, I find the non-hearing students to be a dream to have in class and I think they probably teach me more than I teach them. they're just regular people Sam.
Christopher,
LOL You are SUPPOSED to forget that they are there. In the classroom, the interpreter is correctly viewed as a form of technology (albeit a form of technology that has clothes and breathes). You wouldn't talk to the computer instead of the student. Don't feel obligated to talk to the interpreter who happens to be there!
Dr. Jane Jarrow
My first time with a deaf student I was nervous. I wasn't sure how the class would flow and wasn't sure how to interact with the student and the interpreter. The first couple of days I was catching myself looking at the interpreter instead of the student. I quickly learned that I need to look at the student when asking questions or the student asking me a question. I almost felt rude to the interpreters because it was like I almost forget they were there.
Tom,
I used to have a sign over my desk that read, "The BEST you can do is the BEST you can do." Sounds like you did everything you could or should have done given the information available in this situation. The student with a disability had a responsibility to let you know if more/different was needed.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I've recently had a situation where a deaf student did not do well in my course. He told me after poor performance on a test that I often speak too fast and he has a hard time following along. He never expressed this to me during the course. In fact I often saw him not watching his interpreter. I felt guilty that I had done something wrong - I wish he had told me during the course that there was an issue in my presentation.
Samuel,
That is EXACTLY the kind of stereotype that this course was supposed to dispell. I wish you would read some of the other comments in the forums from your peers who have had very different experiences and hold very different views.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Deaf students usually get frustrated much easier than a hearing student
Keith,
I wouldn't be too concerned with how the grades/grading of students with disabilities is perceived by the rest of the class -- they won't know what the student is getting grade-wise. But tolerating behavior from a student with a disability that you wouldn't tolerate from anyone else is unacceptable all around.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
That's a great point, Paul. It is important to think about how your communications will be received, not just what it is that you say.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I would have to agree with you, the student with the impairment would have to be treated as any other student in both discipline and grading procedures or this will cause a conflict between him and the rest of the students
I agree, you also have to understand that the way you talk and present your motions to the student is more understood by them than you think. They are more like every other student in that way, this i have experienced with interactions with my hearing impaired students so far. Keeping it very visual is key.
Henry,
You are right. The interpreter should be viewed as "equipment" in this equation. It is just equipment that happens to have hair and breathe. The interpreter is not a part of the conversation, only a conduit.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Also key to remember the deaf students first language is sign. English is a second language. Talk to the students directly and not the interpreter.
Matthew,
Not fitting in is one thing. It isn't easy when you can't communicate easily with those around you. But rudeness is something else.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
