This presentation covers the ideas and practice I developed to support deaf students and their learning whilst teaching two deaf students in Design for Digital Media and Applied Photography. As the title suggests different subject areas will require different solutions but many aspects will help any lecturer develop they own inclusive practice for support students wit hearing impairment. From 2006/2008.

1. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students from
the curriculum to the classroom
David Bryson
Teaching Fellow CPD
Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology

2. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students
• Curriculum to classroom
• In the classroom
• Working with a signer
• Online Glossaries
• Keeping language simple
• Weblinks

3. Overcoming challenges to learning
Curriculum to classroom
• It is not redesigning the curriculum but
being aware of the challenges the
curriculum creates for students
especially in terms of accessibility to all.
• This presentation is looking at the
implications for deaf students but some
issues have wider implications.

4. Overcoming challenges to learning
Subject domain
• What is different about your subject area
that could be problematic?
• This is not looking for areas that should
be omitted but thinking about how you
might need to cover this them differently
• Alternative ways of covering the same
materials, different modes of assessment

5. Overcoming challenges to learning
Curriculum design
• A large part of curriculum design is
developing what in Web Design or
Graphics terms is called “Universal
Design” that is taking into account from
the outset all the possible needs of the
end-users (students) who may want to
study your programme.

6. Overcoming challenges to learning
Teaching learning and
assessment strategy
• Ways of teaching have a great impact on
students not just deaf students
• There is a need to reflect on the best way to
teach any subject and what may work for one
student will not necessarily be best for them
all.
• Generally meeting your students needs by
providing accessible learning opportunities
works best for all and doesn't create barriers
to learning.

7. Overcoming challenges to learning
It takes extra time
• An issue on reflection is that working
with and supporting a deaf student does
take more work for a module
• It is work that in some cases benefits
other students but do need to be aware
of this issue.

8. Overcoming challenges to learning
Feedback: Group working
What difficulties do deaf students face working
in groups?
• Might feel alienated by peers
• Extra provision might not help
• Attitudes and awareness of peers
• Provide support, assumption all students work
well in groups - training
• Not just for deaf student
• Avoid due to lack of knowledge

9. Overcoming challenges to learning
Feedback: Impact of a signer
What could be the impact of a signer and deaf
student on a session for other students?
• Signing is fascinating to watch
• A distraction
• Awareness of lecturer in how work
• Negotiation / lecture responsibility to work
together
• Picking up cues difficult

10. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students
• Curriculum to classroom
• In the classroom
• Working with a signer
• Online Glossaries
• Keeping language simple
• Weblinks

11. Overcoming challenges to learning
Room organisation
• The learning environment can make a
significant difference to the challenges facing a
deaf student.
• The challenges are very much your challenges
rather than the student's or signer's to make
the right adaptations.
• The next series of slides illustrates some
aspects that have occurred in my teaching over
the past two years.

12. Overcoming challenges to learning

13. Overcoming challenges to learning
Need to be aware interpreter can’t see what
you may be writing or showing on screen.

14. Overcoming challenges to learning
Changing position of your laptop will help but can end
up if you having to sit to use computer or you will
block the screen. Easiest if DP ceiling mounted.

15. Overcoming challenges to learning
In the round is more difficult as you may not see signer
easily or the student read your lips when you are
facing other students.

16. Overcoming challenges to learning
Adding a signer to a group can complicate things
students need to be aware that they need to allow
time after they have talked for deaf student to have
taken in signs so they may be slower in joining in.

17. Overcoming challenges to learning

18. Overcoming challenges to learning
Computer support or training
• If the student is concentrating on the
screen then they cannot see you speak.
• You need to follow a sequence agreed
with the student.
– Say what you are going to do
– Demonstrate it while they watch
– Ask for feedback from the student

19. Overcoming challenges to learning
In a darkroom
• When trying to teach in a darkroom working
with safelights there might not be enough light
for the student to see the signer or your lips
to lip read.
• This is equally true if lights are dimmed for a
dataprojector. So you may need to provide a
light for the signer's hands.
• Don't forget if using a DVD to use the English
subtitles.

20. Overcoming challenges to learning
In a darkroom
• When trying to teach in a darkroom working
with safelights there might not be enough light
for the student to see the signer or your lips
to lip read.
• This is equally true if lights are dimmed for a
dataprojector. So you may need to provide a
light for the signer's hands.
• Don't forget if using a DVD to use the English
subtitles.

21. Overcoming challenges to learning
Demonstrations
• If you have a group of students looking at
you demonstrating make sure you repeat
at least once so deaf student can see
what you have said then watched you
demonstrate.
• Do need to make sure the student can
see their signer when there is a gaggle of
students.

22. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students
• Curriculum to classroom
• In the classroom
• Working with a signer
• Online Glossaries
• Keeping language simple
• Weblinks

23. Overcoming challenges to learning
Ways of working
• Signers need breaks - don’t imagine you
can drive on through a long lecture when
someone is signing.
• The guides to good practice have very
good ideas and ways of working with
deaf students and signers.
• Important not just you and deaf student
(and his hearing dog)!

24. Overcoming challenges to learning
You and the Deaf Support Unit
• Need to make sure Deaf support unit knows
what you are doing so they can organise a
signer as well as student.
• A module handbook for the signer and deaf
support unit will help them to know when you
need support.
• You may or may not get the same signer each
week so it is best to make sure you are
prepared with materials a new one may need
each week.

25. Overcoming challenges to learning
Learning support materials
• In sessions it is important to have a handout for signer
so can read and have an overview of what you are
going to do.
• Need 5 - 10 mins to read preferably available before
session.
• This should include a lesson plan if involving more
than a lecture e.g. Group work.
• Deaf students do like to use VLEs and do access
online materials, often the first to sign up or access.
• It is important to work with and support your signers
to do their job.

26. Overcoming challenges to learning
Learning support materials
• Deaf student has to see what you have on
screen and read signs at same time!
• Deaf students do use tools like Udo,
BlackBoard, moodle or other VLEs and do
access online support materials, often first to
sign up.
• May have two extra people with deaf student
signer but also note taker, again more copies
of handouts.

27. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students
• Curriculum to classroom
• In the classroom
• Working with a signer
• Online Glossaries
• Keeping language simple
• Weblinks

28. Overcoming challenges to learning
Online glossaries
• Online glossaries have been created by
signers and deaf students to create a
uniform range of signs to enhance
communication of concepts in education.
• Links at end to science, engineering, built
environment and art signs sites
• New one pointed out to me recently
http://www.slcresources4ict.net/ for ICT

29. Overcoming challenges to learning

30. Overcoming challenges to learning

31. Overcoming challenges to learning
QuickTime™ and a
Sorenson Video 3 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Learning style

32. Overcoming challenges to learning

33. Overcoming challenges to learning
Anatomy
QuickTime™ and a
Sorenson Video 3 decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

34. Overcoming challenges to learning
Online glossaries
www.slcresources4ict.net/
www.sciencesigns.ac.uk
www.engineeringsigns.ac.uk
www.builtenvsigns.ac.uk
www.artsigns.ac.uk

35. Overcoming challenges to learning
Preparation
• If lectures are online beforehand
students and signer can meet to look at
and agree what signs mean for words
that are going to be used in the lecture.
• Students and signers do use these sites
so the more help in advance with
vocabulary through lecture notes or
terminology materials the better.

36. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students
• Curriculum to classroom
• In the classroom
• Working with a signer
• Online Glossaries
• Keeping language simple
• Weblinks

37. Overcoming challenges to learning
Keep it simple
• The signer has to listen to your sentence
before signing it as the grammatical
construction is different.
• So you should keep you sentences short
• Make sure you leave them enough time
for them to able finish signing otherwise
they are listening to you and signing your
last sentence.

38. Overcoming challenges to learning
Keeping language simple
• Some words may have to be spelt out by the
signer.
• See how long it takes you to understand a
word spelt out letter by letter!
• Sometimes need to be aware of signer out of
the corner of your eye and avoid talking too
fast.
• Try to pause and think about what you are
saying and how you say it.

39. Overcoming challenges to learning
Reusing learning materials
• Ask your self are they inclusive will the
language work or is the sentence or paragraph
structure too complex for you to use without
changing?
• This should be done before start lecture
otherwise you will be trying to shorten
sentences as you read or go through slides.
• This is not easy, also it may confuse students as
they read something different on screen.

40. Overcoming challenges to learning
Avoid complex language
• The deaf support unit found this useful
link and passed it on to me.
(A subtle hint?)
• Simplify relative clause sentences
http://www.rit.edu/~seawww/relativeclau
sepages/rcsimplifying.html
• Supporting English Acquisition
http://www.rit.edu/~seawww/

41. Overcoming challenges to learning

42. Overcoming challenges to learning
Relative clauses
• A strength of digital photography is the
degree of control it gives photographers.
• Possible simplification: Digital
photography gives photographers a lot of
control. This control is a strength of
digital photography.

43. Overcoming challenges to learning
Key to making sessions
inclusive
• Work out the best way to support the
end-user i.e. student.
• It is not your lecture it is their lecture.
• Plan and prepare in advance.
• Make sure you, the deaf student,
interpreter and note taker work
together.
• This is your role not theirs.

44. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting deaf students
• Curriculum to classroom
• In the classroom
• Working with a signer
• Online Glossaries
• Keeping language simple
• Weblinks

45. Overcoming challenges to learning
Supporting materials for lecturers
www.wlv.ac.uk/teachingdeafstudents
There is a guide
to good practice
for art, design and
communication and
science and
engineering

46. Overcoming challenges to learning
www.techdis.ac.uk/watchwords

47. Overcoming challenges to learning
Web links
www.deafandcreative.ac.uk
www.rnid.org.uk
www.sciencesigns.ac.uk
www.engineeringsigns.ac.uk
www.builtenvsigns.ac.uk
www.artsigns.ac.uk
www.slcresources4ict.net

48. Overcoming challenges to learning

49. Overcoming challenges to learning
Support and advisory service
• Information for staff
http://www2.derby.ac.uk/student-
services/dis1_staff.htm
• Support and Advisory Service
http://www2.derby.ac.uk/student-services/

50. Overcoming challenges to learning
Acknowledgements
• With thanks to two deaf students, Lianne
Murphy and Anthony Martin, and to all
the signers who have worked with us.
• Also the staff in the Deaf Support Unit,
especially Chéron Stevenson.

51. Overcoming challenges to learning
David Bryson
D.Bryson@derby.ac.uk
Personal website
http://www.cladonia.co.uk