This guide is intended to
provide information and advice to teaching and support staff in geography,
earth and environmental science departments when planning and providing
fieldwork experiences for d/Deaf or hard of hearing students. Managers and disability advisers may also
find the guide of use in making decisions about resourcing and supporting
fieldwork.
The authors would like to
acknowledge, with thanks, the contributions and comments from a wide range of
d/Deaf and hearing-impaired colleagues and students and from disability support
colleagues during the development of this web page.
1.
What is deafness?
1.1
d/Deaf students
in Higher Education : opening doors
1.2
They can lip-read, can’t they?
1.3
Can’t I just
write it down?
1.4
Deaf? deaf? What does it all mean?
2.
Medical and
social models of disability as applied to deafness.
3.
Communication and
d/Deafness
3.1
The invisible
disability
3.2
What is British
Sign Language (BSL)?
3.3
Why do some
d/Deaf students use English or Sign-Supported English (SSE) and others use BSL?
3.4
What is Deaf
culture?
4.
D/Deaf etiquette
and hints for effective communication
4.1
What’s in a name?
4.2
How can I
communicate more effectively?
5.
D/Deaf students
choosing and embarking on courses
5.1
Selecting courses
which involve fieldwork
5.2
Course induction
6.
What d/Deaf
students say about fieldwork
7.
Improving
learning while in the field
7.1
Briefing students
in the field
7.2
Students
interviewing key officials
7.3
Students
interviewing members of the public
7.4
Giving students
emergency warnings of actual or potential hazardous conditions while in the
field.
8.
Improving
learning before and after fieldwork
8.1
Briefing students
before going into the field
8.2
Group work in the
field
8.3
Post-fieldwork
de-briefing and reporting
9.
Could good
fieldwork for d/Deaf students mean good fieldwork for all?
10.
Some useful signs
11.
References and
links
1.1 Deaf Students in Higher Education: opening
doors.
Equality of opportunity now means that deafness
and hearing impairment need no longer be a barrier to study. With improved access, assistive technology,
and “Human Aids to Communication” (HACs), the inability to hear need no longer
stand in the way of academic success.
Some barriers, however, are difficult to remove, the most stubborn being
lack of awareness of what d/Deafness
actually means in the Higher Education context. Lecturers may be confused by the mass of
technology, amazed by the entourage of HACs accompanying d/Deaf students on
field-trips, or puzzled at a d/Deaf student’s difficulty with textual
material. The attitudes of fellow
students may be helpful or even downright hostile. d/Deaf and hearing-impaired students may also
suffer from low self-esteem and isolation, particularly where they have had to
adjust to hearing loss later in life.
1.2 They can lip-read, can’t they?
While this may be true for some d/Deaf people,
for many, lip-reading is only an aid
to communication, and an unreliable and difficult one. Lip-reading can help only when the d/Deaf
person has full command of English: for many Deaf people, English is a second
language (LINK: see screen 2: BSL and Deaf Culture). Even with full English, lip-reading is
difficult: many words have the same lip-pattern, and confusion is common. Lip-reading is also exceptionally
tiring: watching a person’s face in
order to understand them is a strain, and is not helped if the lecturer moves
around, covers his/her face, does not enunciate clearly or turns to point out
features of the landscape. (LINK: see screen 3 – communication).
It is estimated that a person can lip-read only some 30 per cent of what is
said.
1.3 Can’t I just write it down?
Many d/Deaf students – particularly those whose first
language is British Sign Language (BSL) (LINK – sections .,4 and 3.2) - have difficulty reading and writing
English. This is not an indication of limited intellect, nor is it dyslexia; rather
it is a combination of educational and linguistic factors (LINK – see screen 2). It is
inappropriate to rely solely on written communication, as well as inconvenient.
1.4 Deaf? deaf? What does it all
mean?
The term ‘Hearing Impaired’ (LINK – see screen 3) is
used generally to describe all persons with significant hearing loss, although
many d/Deaf people feel that it is not an accurate description of them.
|
‘Categories’ of d/Deaf people |
General information |
|
Deaf with capital D is used (after the convention first
described by Woodward, 1972) to define people with severe to profound
d/Deafness, who regard themselves as belonging to a cultural and linguistic
minority. |
Most
likely born deaf or became deaf in infancy before acquiring language skills;
communicate in BSL, using interpreters to facilitate communication with
hearing people; may wear hearing aids, but only to raise sound levels
generally – they would not help in distinguishing speech or other precise
sounds. Profound difficulty in spoken conversation. |
|
deaf with lower-case d refers to people with severe to profound
deafness, who choose to speak and lip-read (also known as ‘Oral deaf’). |
Probably born deaf or
became deaf in infancy; communicate orally; may use Sign-Supported English (SSE – LINK see screen 2), interpreters, and hearing aids/loop systems.
Extreme difficulty in spoken conversation. |
|
deafened refers to those who
experienced severe/profound hearing loss after maturity. |
Lost
all useful hearing after having grown up as hearing people; use hearing
aids/loops; may use Sign Supported English interpreters; extreme difficulty
in spoken conversation. |
|
Partially-deaf people have moderate
to severe hearing loss. |
May benefit from
hearing aids/loops; use English and may use BSL/SSE; great difficulty in
spoken conversation. |
|
Hard of Hearing means those with mild to moderate hearing
loss. |
Can benefit from
hearing aids/loops; some difficulty in spoken conversation. |
These categories should only be used as guidelines as
preferred support may be affected by individual circumstances and evolve over
time.
The
medical and social models of disability are dealt with in detail elsewhere
(Link to Guide 1). The Medical Model emphasises dependency, a
focus on the medical condition from which the deafness results and the failure
of medicine to rectify it. It focuses on
passivity, helplessness and the d/Deaf person being a victim of their
‘unfortunate’ situation. The Social Model of d/Deaf disability, on
the other hand, would focus on the integrity of the d/Deaf person, on enhanced
self-knowledge, on the fact of belonging to a defined cultural community which
has, for some, its own language, norms and identity. This model would see the difficulties that d/Deaf
people experience as potentially a form of discrimination and more of an issue
of equal opportunities rather than of personal inadequacies. The medical model may be seen as limiting,
the social model as liberating.
Most
people would not think of themselves as discriminating against particular
groups. Indeed in the UK and in many
other countries it is illegal to discriminate on the grounds of race, gender,
sexual orientation and disabilities. For
many academics having a d/Deaf or hearing-impaired student is a rare
occurrence. However, a much larger
proportion of academics will regularly teach students who are non-native
speakers of English. There are many useful parallels that could be made between
these two groups. Both may need:
·
Attention paid to
linguistic communication
·
More time than
speakers of English as a first language to assimilate the spoken word
·
More support from
interpreters and friends
·
Some negotiation
of tasks
·
A recognition
that many activities may be more demanding than for other students and that
breaks and rests are important
·
Different,
mutually supportive media of communication
·
A recognition of
the value of their difference as well as acknowledgement of their specific
needs
·
A feeling of
being ‘one of the crowd’ rather than always feeling they are different and
special.
3.1 The
invisible disability.
Deafness
has been referred to as ‘the invisible disability’ – d/Deaf people are not
easily identified as disabled, showing no outward signs that they are any
different. For them communication, not
access or mobility, is the key issue.
This is most significant in the case of d/Deaf users of British Sign
Language (or any other national sign language), for whom both spoken and
written language present formidable barriers.
3.2 What is
British Sign Language (BSL)?
BSL is the first or
preferred language of more than 70,000 Deaf people in the United Kingdom. Like sign languages used in other parts of
the world, t is a full and complete language in its own right, with its own grammar,
vocabulary and syntax, and is totally separate from English. It is:
·
not a way of expressing
English with gestures
·
not an ‘aid’ created to
‘help’ Deaf people communicate
·
not inferior to or less
expressive than spoken language.
BSL has been in use
amongst the British Deaf community over generations, developing like any other
language. It has, however, been under
constant attack by those who see it as inferior and would eradicate it. For 100 years, from 1880 to 1980, it was
banned in Deaf Schools in the UKand replaced by ‘Oralism’, with pupils forced
to speak and lip-read English, which most could neither hear nor understand.
Consequently, most profoundly deaf children learned very little of anything.
The status of BSL rose
after a damning report on the failure of Oralism (Conrad, 1979), with
international recognition of the linguistic value of Sign Languages, and
evidence that deaf children learn more effectively through sign language. 95 per cent of deaf children in the UK are
now taught in ordinary schools rather than in specialist d/Deaf schools;
however, problems of access still arise through:
·
the
shortage of educational BSL interpreters and communicators
·
the ongoing
conflict over appropriate methodology: Oralism v Sign Language
·
ignorance of the
communication needs of d/Deaf children.
Consequently, although
more young D/Deaf adults now gain university entrance qualifications, many have
experienced restricted educational support, and may have difficulties with
literacy in their second language, English.
Students from other
countries who use sign language will be unable to communicate with BSL users
since all sign languages are languages in their own right and differ in the
same way that other languages do.
3.3 Why do some
d/Deaf students use English (or Sign-Supported English [SSE]), and others use
BSL?
The younger a student
became deaf, the less likely s/he is to use English. Those born deaf have never heard the
spoken word: theirs is a visual world, with visual communication. They cannot relate easily to spoken English,
and consequently struggle to understand written English.
Those who lost their
hearing after they learned to speak
(and possibly to read and write) will have less difficulty with English, as it
is their first language. They may use Sign Supported English as an aid to
communication. SSE is not a language – it is spoken English
supported by signs borrowed from BSL.
3.4 What is Deaf
Culture?
Deaf Culture cannot
easily be defined.
·
It
is a way of life enjoyed by Britain’s Deaf community, centred upon visuality
and shared experience of Deaf-ness.
·
It has its own
traditions, humour, folklore and art-forms, including wonderfully expressive
poetry.
·
At its hub is the
rich language, BSL.
4.1 What’s in a
name?
When referring to students
with hearing loss, staff should be aware of certain issues:
·
Many deaf people
– and almost all Deaf people –
dislike the term ‘Hearing Impaired’. It has negative connotations, and focuses on
a perceived deficit. Deaf people do not regard themselves as hearing impaired.
·
The expression
‘The Deaf’ is also disliked – say ‘Deaf People’.
·
‘Hard of Hearing’
refers to people with slight or moderate hearing loss – d/Deaf people do not
find this term appropriate.
In order to encompass all levels of deafness the terms
d/Deaf or hearing impaired people can be used.
This will ensure that all groups are covered.
4.2 How can I
communicate more effectively?
When you are communicating
with d/Deaf students, whether in the classroom, one-to-one or in the field,
remember:
·
Make sure you are
not standing in front of a window or light: no-one can lip-read a silhouette;
·
Ensure there is
adequate light so the student can see your face;
·
The student needs
to be able to see your mouth: don’t cover it with scarves, whiskers, hands or
food;
·
Face the student
and maintain eye-contact: don’t turn away to point at anything when speaking;
·
Speak normally –
don’t exaggerate lip movements or slow down unnaturally; don’t gabble; don’t shout;
·
Stick to the
point – don’t start to talk about one thing then wander off onto another
subject: context is an important clue in lip-reading;
·
Keep at a
distance of between 1 and 2 metres for one-to one communication;
·
Don’t expect
d/Deaf students to lip-read at a distance, in group-work or in large lectures;
·
Only one person
at a time can be lip-read – control group discussions so that people speak in
sequence. It is useful if people raise
their hands before they speak in discussions.
The d/Deaf or hard of hearing person can then turn to look at the
speaker, rather than trying to locate the sound and then losing the first part
of the speaker’s comment;
·
When working with
a Sign Language Interpreter many of the above points also apply – the student
must be able to see your face, the interpreter can only interpret one person at
a time, and so on.
·
Use a registered
qualified Sign Language Interpreter or a registered trainee - relying on the student’s pals just will not
do;
·
Ensure the
student can see the interpreter and any visual aids;
·
Ensure the
interpreter can hear you speak;
·
While you are
speaking, the student will look at the interpreter; however, if the student is
signing and the interpreter is ‘voicing’ his/her comments, do not look at the interpreter – look at
the student. S/he is the one who is
commenting;
·
When speaking to
the student, don’t speak to the interpreter: look at the student and
address your comments to him/her.
·
Never say to the
interpreter “Tell him…” Always speak
directly to the student;
·
Remember that the
interpreter can only interpret one person at a time: control group discussions
so that people speak in sequence;
·
Remember that
there is a few seconds’ lag or delay
in interpreting – allow time to catch up;
·
Don’t ask the
interpreter to comment or participate in discussions – s/he is there to
facilitate communication between you and the student/s. S/he will not
communicate with you other than to clarify meaning;
For all d/Deaf or hearing impaired students
·
Please
understand that it is impossible to watch an interpreter or lip-read and take
notes/read handouts at the same time. Where possible students should be
provided with OHTs and handouts in advance, either from a web-site or in hard
copy.. Interpreters should be briefed in advance of what will be required;
·
Relax
and be natural with d/Deaf or hearing impaired students.
5. DEAF
STUDENTS CHOOSING AND EMBARKING ON COURSES
The most successful students
are arguably the ones who start by making wise and well-informed choices
amongst potential courses. It is even
more important for students with additional needs, such as D/d/Deafness, to
make the best choice from amongst the array they are offered so that
difficulties at a later stage are minimised.
In order to make these choices students will need:
·
Opportunities to
discuss potential need with tutors before signing up to foresee any needs well
in advance and plan for them.
·
Clear details of
the desired learning outcomes, teaching and assessment methods and activities
they are likely to encounter on a course, and full details of the fieldwork
arrangements particularly where these relate to communication. They will also need to know something about
the learning environment (e.g. noisy lecture theatres located on busy main
roads) and facilities that will support their disability.
·
Different routes
to this information: textual in handbooks and on web sites; visual,
diagrammatic and photographic. Clarity
of language is paramount since Deaf users of BSL have English as their second
language. In designing information
presentation it might be helpful to test that your use of language is
accessible to a non-native speaker of English of reasonable linguistic
competence.
·
Access to
advice: in person with staff, Frequently
Asked Questions sections of web pages, to students who have done the course
before, to reports of fieldwork activities and to photographic records.
·
Information to be
consistent between departmental and institutional material and between various
support units.
·
Assurance that a
degree of flexibility is built into the design of fieldwork – alternative
approaches negotiated by groups of students, for example.
Institutions and individual
academics make many assumptions about student knowledge and experience. However, there is plenty of evidence that
students are not at ease with the conventions of higher education and spend
some considerable time learning about the culture, language and norms of their
environment. This will be particularly
true of students who come from backgrounds where going to university is not the
norm. What exactly is a lecture supposed to achieve?
What should I be doing in a lecture?
What are the expectations of me in a seminar group? And, of course, ‘What does fieldwork at
university entail?’
For d/Deaf students it is
much more difficult to pick up the clues and cues as they go along, since
little is made explicit and a lot is picked up by overheard remarks, chance
comments and so on – precisely the kind of thing that d/Deaf students have
difficulty with. It therefore becomes
the responsibility of the lecturer to find ways of helping d/Deaf students have
access to this information.
A fieldwork handbook will
help – with some basic rules and principles of fieldwork, descriptions of the
range of fieldwork that they might encounter.
It could also provide pictorial records of previous field work and some
informal reports of previous students’ experience. As well as the explicit discipline-related
goals of the fieldwork an explanation could be given of the ancillary learning
which the experience will bring: understanding working in groups, appreciating
difference and variety of contributions, concern for others.
Not all d/Deaf students are
the same, indeed generalization is dangerous as to their needs and
capabilities. As one deaf geography
student wrote, "…the needs of each
deaf or hard-of-hearing individual will inevitably be different and those who
are organising and participating in field trips should be made aware of exactly
what those needs are". So the
onus is on staff to find out what the students' abilities and needs are, particularly
because fieldwork will present unfamiliar situations to d/Deaf students for
which they may not have worked out coping mechanisms.
Students may not know what is
expected of them and may be unwilling to ask for help. "…I
have to admit that I was quite reluctant initially to discuss any needs I had
within the department as regards to fieldwork.
This may seem strange because I'm sure that most lecturers would do
anything to help, but I wasn't keen on being treated any differently than
others doing the same fieldwork and I wasn't sure that there would be much in
the way of helping me anyway."
As bad as staff who are
unaware of the needs of d/Deaf students are staff who think they know all about
d/Deafness. "...there is nothing worse than dealing with people who have very
little idea or who have preconceived notions about what should be done to help
deaf or hard-of-hearing students to participate fully and equally…".
Perhaps the best way round
this impasse is to ensure that staff actively seek out d/Deaf students well
before the fieldwork starts and talk to them about what is going to happen and
check that they are happy with this. If
they are not, discuss ways around the situation. The aim is a negotiated and mutually
acceptable way of ensuring the fullest possible participation while avoiding
d/Deaf students seemingly being singled out for special treatment.
So what aspects of fieldwork
do d/Deaf students find particularly problematic? Group work is one tricky area. In a lecture theatre there is one
professional speaker who stands more or less in one place (though they may talk
to the blackboard or out the window!).
In group work people talk from all round the room – the flip side of
student participation is not knowing where to look to lip read, particularly if
several people are talking at the same time in a heated debate. Students' many regional accents and their
different lip-shapes make life difficult for lip-readers. "There
also seemed to be an epidemic of turning around and facing the other way when
they [staff] were pointing at or
showing me something, so that meant I couldn't read their lips".
And the best single thing we
can do to help d/Deaf students? Perhaps
it is "…having written information
on the field trips, especially the instructions on actually carrying out the
work was great because I knew what I was doing and I wasn't panicking about
having missed vital information".
"All details of the fieldwork
should be given to the student in a written form before the field visit so that
queries can be sorted out."
A close second in valuable
advice from d/Deaf students themselves would be for departmental staff (don’t
leave it to a disabilities support unit) to seek out the d/Deaf students,
explain activities, negotiate actions and generally check that the student is
comfortable with the work and following what is going on. After all, you and your colleagues will have
been teaching these d/Deaf students for some time before the fieldwork starts
so "…staff should […] have already
been made aware, or made themselves aware, of how they should communicate with
the student according to the student's needs".
In this section we describe
the aspects of some common fieldwork situations which might be problematic for
d/Deaf students (and in many cases also for hearing students). We then suggest measures which staff could
take to assist d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Staff need to be sensitive to the general
difficulties which some fieldwork can cause for d/Deaf students, and should be
ready to negotiate with each student as to what would suit them best.
As a general point, if a
d/Deaf student has a sign-language interpreter, that person should be able to
accompany the d/Deaf student during all the fieldwork. (Link to categories of deaf people). In the UK the Disabled Students Allowance is
available to students via their Local Education Authority to help provide
additional support needed for fieldwork. (see http://www.dfee.gov.uk/bridging/index)
Because the essence of
fieldwork is the practical application of skills, the very detailed advice
given in the field is vital to the fullest exploitation of the learning
opportunities. Yet, when you have a
large group spread around you, even a modest amount of wind, traffic noise or
the sound of running water or waves can create acoustic dead-zones around the
person speaking to an extent unimaginable in a lecture theatre. Many of the actions suggested below will help
all your students:
·
write down in a
handout as much as you can of what you will say in the field, so the oral
briefing is a reminder and not the only medium you use to get across the
information;
·
do as much
briefing as you can before you get into the field, in a place where the
acoustics will be better, and distribute handouts well in advance;
·
ensure the d/Deaf
students are close to you and in front of you as you speak so that lip-reading
is as easy as possible;
·
if necessary,
check that the d/Deaf students have understood you and, if not, give them a
separate briefing;
·
wear a
transmitter during the briefing if that will help those with hearing aids (as
one would in a lecture).
You
may ask your students to interview key people in the community. Such interviews are often carried out by
groups of students within which the tasks of asking the questions and recording
the replies are shared out. In a fixed
setting (e.g. everyone is sitting down around a table) the d/Deaf student can
position him/herself so as to make lip-reading or hearing as easy as
possible. They should be able to take
part in the questioning as normal but may not be able take full and accurate
records of what was said. If the interview
is on site (e.g. while touring a factory or farm, with people talking while
moving around) positioning to allow lip reading and hearing may be very
difficulty in practice. If the interview
is in a very noisy environment (e.g. a factory) a lip-reading student may
understand more of what is said than the hearing ones.
·
ensure the d/Deaf
student is part of a group of students who will allow him/her to participate as
fully as possible in all elements of the interview;
·
ensure the d/Deaf
student can position him/herself optimally for the interview;
·
ensure that all
the students get a copy of the interview notes;
·
ask the
interviewee to wear a transmitter if that will help those with hearing aids;
·
perhaps get the
d/Deaf or hearing-impaired student to ask the first question, so as to set the
agenda and in case they are not able to follow precisely all aspects of the
subsequent discussion.
Students are often required
to carry out interviews with members of the public in the street, on doorsteps,
or in car parks or shopping centres. For
BSL users and lip-readers this may present a number of difficulties. It would
be unacceptable if they were sidelined, watching the hearing students doing the
task. Discussing with the students what
they can manage will be essential. The
aim is for them to do as much as a hearing student can.
·
ensure the d/Deaf
student is part of a group of students who will allow him/her to participate as
fully as possible in all elements of the interviewing;
·
the face-to-face
and close-quarters nature of much street interviewing helps lip-reading;
·
background noise
from passers-by, muzak, wind or traffic may make the use of hearing aids
problematic - a quiet venue for the interviewing will help;
·
in the UK the
Disabled Students Allowance can be used to fund a specially-trained
note-taker. In some circumstances it
might be appropriate for a fellow student to act as an amanuensis, recording
the answers to the questions posed to the interviewees by the d/Deaf student,
although care and sensitivity should be used in selecting such a student.
7.4 Giving students
(emergency) warnings of actually or potentially hazardous conditions while in
the field
It may be necessary to give
reminders or emergency warnings of safety-critical information to students
while they are carrying out fieldwork.
The difficulty is that the information may have to be given immediately
and in person; time may not permit pre-prepared handouts. A shouted warning will be ineffective for the
wholly d/Deaf and cannot be relied on for those with partial hearing or hearing
aids. The wearing of hats or hoods when the weather is bad will further
diminish the amount that can be heard and will render some hearing aids
ineffectual.
·
ensure the d/Deaf
student does not work alone in the field (neither, of course, should any other
student);
·
write down the
warning on a pad so the student can read it;
·
learn emergency
warning signs in your national sign language;
·
arrange for the
d/Deaf student’s group to be accompanied by a ‘watcher’ who can alert students
to dangers;
·
equipping a
d/Deaf student with a vibrating pager is a good back-up for communicating
emergency messages.
In this section we describe
generic situations which commonly happen when preparing for fieldwork and after
one returns from the field and indicate the aspects of the situation which
might be problematic for d/Deaf students (and in many cases also for hearing
students). We then suggest measures
which staff could take to assist d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Clearly you need to be sensitive to the
general difficulties which some fieldwork can cause for d/Deaf students, and
ready to negotiate with each student as to what would suit them best.
Such
briefings are very similar to a lecture and so the d/Deafness issues will be
comparable and quite familiar to both staff and d/Deaf students. Coping strategies should already have been
worked out. This is much less
problematic than being in the field itself.
However, it may be that the briefing room is not equipped with an
induction-loop system so hearing aids will not operate as effectively as in a
purpose-built lecture theatre.
·
as good practice
for all students, you should provide all important aspects of the briefing in a
handout and take the students through this document during the briefing,
allowing time for them to read it and ask questions; interpreters must be
briefed beforehand;
·
ensure that
d/Deaf students who lip-read are sitting in the optimal position for this;
·
check after the
briefing that all the students are clear on what is happening and perhaps go
over the key points separately for the d/Deaf students, if they want this;
·
wear a
transmitter during the briefing if that will help those with hearing aids (as
one would in any lecture for them);
·
check the
positioning of any interpreter.
8.2 Group work
in the field
·
Nearly all
fieldwork is done in groups – safety concerns alone will ensure this,
reinforced perhaps by a lack of equipment, the need for many hands to do the
task (e.g. land surveying) and a belief in the educational value of
experiencing team work. The supervision
of students in the field may be easier if they work in groups.
Particularly in physical
geography and earth/environmental science the success of the fieldwork may
depend on communication among the group of students. Examples of such communication would include
discussing where to take environmental samples or measurements, how to operate
equipment, carryout out field measurements and recording the results, and
discussing what the field measurements and observations mean. Such discussions will be an integral part of,
for example, geological field mapping, botanical surveying, till-fabric
analysis, taking stream-flow measurements, and soil coring. It is easy for staff to overlook just how
much informal but vital inter-group communication there is in such
activities. The hearing students in the
group need to be briefed to ensure that the d/Deaf student (and his/her
interpreter) can understand all that is going on, are fully involved in the
discussions and can participate in the work of the group. The only exceptions would be in special cases
where a deaf student could not be expected to operate as a hearing one would,
e.g. a lip-reading students working with equipment which has only audible
warning signals or response modes, or taking verbatim notes of an interview.
After you have returned with
your students from the field, you will want to de-brief them and get them to
report back on what they did and have discovered. In part this is a similar situation to the
pre-fieldwork briefing, but it goes beyond that. First, the centre of attention is unlikely to
be just the member of staff; students all round the de-briefing room will be
reporting back on their fieldwork results.
This makes it more difficult for lip-reading students to place themselves
correctly to see clearly all the interventions.
You may want most of the students to speak during the de-briefing but
they cannot all wear transmitters for those with certain hearing aids. Reporting back may also take more elaborate
and structured formats such as mock public enquiries or other forms of
role-play and debates.
·
wear a
transmitter during the de-briefing if that will help those with hearing aids;
·
ensure that
d/Deaf students who lip-read place themselves in the optimal position for this
in the room;
·
allow the d/Deaf
student to start off the debriefing so that their contribution does not get
overtaken by the flow of the discussion;
·
if d/Deaf
students are working with others in reporting groups or role-play teams, ensure
their group includes them fully and they are not sidelined;
·
find a way of
providing a summary on paper or online of the results from the debate or
role-play - this will help d/Deaf students to catch up with anything they have
missed, and equally will help all the students to understand the full results
and deeper conclusions from the field exercise;
·
check the
positioning of any interpreter;
·
require all
students to raise their hand or make some other appropriate visual signal
before they speak so that lip-readers can turn to face them.
In the social model of
disability the issues turn around equal opportunities for disabled
students. But what of the ‘equal
opportunities’ of the other students in the group? Non-disabled students might argue that
changes made to accommodate the needs of a d/Deaf or hearing-impaired student
might adversely affect their own learning opportunities. However, there are strong arguments that
would suggest that following principles of good fieldwork for d/Deaf students
will bring tangible benefits to all students:
·
Clear and
effective information-giving and advice helps all students select courses
appropriate to their interests and needs
·
Good induction
into courses clarifies requirements, terms, culture and responds to students’
learning needs
·
Verbal and
written communication should be good between academic staff and all students,
where the staff are as sensitive to ‘message received’ as they are to ‘message
sent’; where a variety of media is used to communicate with students and where
the communication is respectful of students and their differences
·
Fieldwork
situations are carefully thought-through occasions for creative learning with
attention paid to all students’ learning needs, interests and abilities, and to
important key skills such as supportive and co-operative groupwork.
·
The design of
fieldwork may well be a collaborative, problem-based experience for staff and
students together.
Principles of good teaching
from the general literature on learning and teaching in HE support this idea
that good learning for d/Deaf students is to a large extent a sub-set of good
learning for all. Take Ramsden’s
‘important properties of good teaching’ (1992, p 89):
·
A desire to share
your love of the subject with students
·
An ability to
make the material being taught stimulating and interesting
·
A capacity to
explain the material plainly
·
A commitment to
encouraging student independence
·
An ability to
improvise and adapt to new demands
·
Using teaching
methods and academic tasks that require students to learn actively, responsibly
and co-operatively
·
Using valid
assessment methods
·
A focus on key
concepts, and students’ misunderstandings of them, rather than covering the
ground
·
Giving the highest
quality feedback on student work
·
A desire to learn
from students and other sources about the effects of teaching and how they can
be improved.
Accommodating the differing
needs of all students is an obligation on all teachers. Teaching and learning can be enriched for all
concerned when this is done creatively and in partnership with students. D/Deaf
and hearing impaired students are one group amongst many with distinctive
needs, but they are not the only such group.
Any group of fieldwork students will include people with a range of
abilities and disabilities and with particular needs. The best teaching of fieldwork will seek to
find out and work with those needs.
(signs here)
11. REFERENCES
AND LINKS
Conrad, R (1979) The Deaf
School Child; Harper Row
Ramsden, P (1992) Learning and
Teaching in Higher Education, Routledge
SUTHERLAND,
J.(no date) Guidelines for working with
deaf and hearing impaired students
(Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University).
A
guide to good practice when teaching d/Deaf and hearing impaired students. It
includes some background information on d/Deaf history and sign language and,
although initially aimed at lecturers working at Sheffield Hallam University,
it can be adapted for use in other institution. (HEFCE funded project).
Woodward, J (1972) "Implications for Sociolinguistics
Research among the
Deaf" Sign Language
Studies 1:1-7
Handbook
for staff on deaf issues, Access Summit, University of Manchester Institute
of Science and Technology
Welcome
pack for deaf students, Staffordshire University. E-mail l.lewis@staffs.ec.uk
Breakthrough Trust - Deaf-Hearing Integration
Alan
Geale House, The Close, Westhill Campus, Bristol Road, Birmingham, B29 6LN.
Tel/min: 0121 472 6447. Fax: 0121 415 2323.
E-mail: bkthudhi@aol.com
British Deaf Association (BDA)
1-3
Worship Street, London, EC2A 2AB.
Tel: 0207 588 3520. Min: 0207 588 3529. Fax: 0207 588 3527.
E-mail: info@bda.org.uk Website: www.bda.org.uk/
Information and advice.
Hearing Concern
7-11
Armstrong Road, London, W3 7JL.
Tel: 0208 743 1110. Min: 0208 742 9151. Fax: 0208 742 9043.
Website: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/hearing.concern/
Helpline: 01245 344 600.
A national organisation for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Publishes
rates of pay of lipspeakers.
National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS)
15
Dufferin Street, London, EC1Y 8UR.
Tel: 0207 490 8656. Fax: 0207 251 5020.
Tel/Min/Helpline: 0207 250 0123. E-mail: ndcs@ndcs.org.uk
Information on all aspects of childhood deafness, including advice on equipment
and education. Runs family support groups. There is also a youth officer.
Royal National Institute for Deaf People
19-23
Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8SL.
Tel: 0207 296 8000. Min: 0207 296 8001. Fax: 0207 296 8199.
RNID Scotland (tel/min): 0141 332 0343.
RNID Northern Ireland (tel/min): 02890 239 619.
E-mail: helpline@rnid.org.uk Website:
www.rnid.org.uk/
Deaf awareness training, information on equipment, where to get interpreters
etc.
The City Literary Institute
FHE
Support Unit, Keeley House, Keeley Street,
London, WC2B 5LJ.
Tel: 0207 430 0548. Fax: 0207 405 3347.
Provides support for d/Deaf and hard of hearing students in London.
Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf
People (CACDP)
Durham
University Science Park, Block 4, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3UZ.
Tel/min: 0191 383 1155. Fax: 0191 383 7914.
E-mail: durham@cacdp.demon.co.uk
Website: www.cacdp.demon.co.uk
Keeps a register of trained sign language interpreters.
CHESS (Consortium of Higher Education
Support Services for Deaf Students)
http://www.shu.ac.uk/services/ssc/disability/chess.htm
Tel.
No. 0115 968 6163.