Student Frustrations
I have a deaf student who gets very frustrated because she feels that the other students don't take the time to understand her thoughts and opinions regarding the subject matter. Any tips?
Hi Todd,
Having worked with deaf students for many years, I will try and lend you some of my experience on this, though a lot of the success will depend on how the deaf student communicates. If she uses American Sign Language (ASL) there should not be a time lag between a hearing student and the deaf student. If she has a good interpreter she should do well. If she has had a cochlear implant her speech may be a bit different in terms of volume and pacing but again should not be a major problem. Some hearing impaired students will lip read but from that they will get only about 60% of what is said. In many cases students with hearing impairments have some social development issues that can cause some issues with other students. My suggestion would be to try and find out the specific concerns the student has and see how they can be addressed. She my have to extend herself some to the rest of the class and not take everything personal. I might be able to give better options if I knew the situation better. The key thing is for everyone to slow down and listen to each other. This is where respect will come from for all students.
Gary
