Supporting students who are Deaf or hard of hearing using digital technologies for learning
Students who are Deaf or hard of hearing will experience some barriers to learning and communication.
Digital technologies can be used to remove some of those barriers and provide students with access to the curriculum.
Considerations before you begin using digital technologies
Talk with the student and their parents/caregivers/whānau: Identify needs and where digital technologies can be used to support communication and learning. Work together to find the best solutions and plan tailored support for your student.
Utilise a universal design for learning (UDL) approach: Create an inclusive classroom that meets the specific needs of students who are Deaf or hard of hearing from the outset.
- make the technologies available to all students, not just the student who is deaf or hard of hearing
- plan for sharing instructions visually as well as orally
- flip your learning – create a website with learning intentions, instructions, and tasks so that students can return as often as necessary
- use a data projector to display timetables, instructions and information such as new vocabulary as the lesson progresses
- use video with captions that students
- use pictures, posters, and diagrams that include titles and keywords.
Choose software carefully: Students who are deaf or hard of hearing often have difficulty acquiring language. Early literacy software can be used to help develop literacy skills and reinforce concepts. Software is available to support word recognition, enhance reading skills, and extend vocabulary. Software needs to be carefully selected as some programs are heavily dependent upon sound.
Select technologies that are visual and interactive: Provide a range of options for students to process and share their learning
Try before you buy: Before you purchase an App, check if it has a free trial.
Useful Apps
Ready to Read e-books
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Deaf Aotearoa, have launched e-books from the Ready to Read series. These apps, and others, are free to download and are available on:
Learn the NZ Sign Language alphabet with this simple video.
New Zealand Sign Language dictionary
The New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary contains diagrams and video for over 4,000 words and phrases. All the diagrams are built in to the application so they can be viewed offline. This is a free App.
Key resource
Deaf or hard of hearing and learning
This guide supports teachers to review and adjust their classrooms to make them more effective for communication and social interactions and to develop successful strategies to facilitate learning. The guide focuses on areas for specific support and on whole-class strategies that benefit all students. It includes links to resources.
Soundfield systems
A soundfield system is an amplification system that provides an even spread of sound around a room. This is beneficial for deaf students, as they can hear the teacher’s voice clearly from wherever they are seated, even if the teacher is facing away from them. All students’ benefit from the soundfield system's amplification, and the teacher doesn’t need to speak loudly to reach everyone.
Studies have also found classroom noise to be an issue in most New Zealand schools. Sound-field classroom amplification systems can provide a practical and cost-effective solution.
Creating enhanced learning environments: The benefits of sound-field amplification systems
ICT leader, Fraser Malin explains how they use sound fields at Halswell School. Sound fields enable teachers to talk to the 180 students spread across various spaces in their innovative learning environment. Teachers can talk to the whole block, or selected parts of the block, and every student gets the same message at the same volume.
Find out about the different systems available
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing: A resource for educators
This booklet has a useful section on how technology can be used in the classroom to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing. It includes information on bone conductors, FM or DM systems, cochlear implants, hearing aids, and sound field systems.
Key resource
Deaf or hard of hearing and learning
This guide supports teachers to review and adjust their classrooms to make them more effective for communication and social interactions and to develop successful strategies to facilitate learning. The guide focuses on areas for specific support and on whole-class strategies that benefit all students. It includes links to resources.
Apps
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Deaf Aotearoa, have launched e-books from the Ready to Read series. These apps, and others, are available on iTunes (for Apple devices) or GooglePlay (for Android devices) and are free to download.
New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary
The New Zealand Sign Language Dictionary contains diagrams and video for over 4,000 words and phrases. All the diagrams are built in to the application so they can be viewed offline. This is a free App.
Resources
This site provides a resource Thumbs Up! An Introduction to New Zealand Sign Language that supports the teaching and learning of NZSL as an additional language in English-medium schools.
Learn the NZ sign language alphabet with this simple video.
Examples of students using assistive technology
Case study 4: Hearing impairment and curriculum areas, describes learning needs, goals, and progress of a student funded to use a personal FM system by the Ministry of Education.
The cochlear implant school toolkit
Information, tips, and strategies to welcome a child with a cochlear implant into the classroom.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing: A resource for educators
This booklet has a useful section on how technology can be used in the classroom to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing. It includes information on bone conductors, FM or DM systems, cochlear implants, hearing aids, and sound field systems.
