Classroom Challenges For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

Attending a normal classroom can be a real challenge for deaf and hard of hearing students who keep struggling all the time to take a note of the joke or the whisper that happens at the next bench. Deaf students in high school are required to give more for the same education as compared to their peers for their disability. They often lose confidence, become shy in answering questions and are often left on their own with no friends, all because of their hearing inability. You must be wondering how I know it all. Being a part of the category of deaf and hard of hearing students myself, I have a clear idea of the haunting experiences of a classroom.

I used to sit at the front desk of the class and had to strain a lot to lip-read the teachers. I had to keep my pace up with the class by giving in more time to reading the lessons at home as compared to a normal kid. This was how I managed to learn at my school. Another humiliating instance was when somebody from the class, other than the teacher, spoke. Before I could even turn my head to notice the lip-reading, a significant portion of the sentence would be missed. That was the time I used to feel completely left out. To avoid any further humiliations, I tried not to ask or to answer any questions. Whatever the case would be, I would be “too late” to respond, this was the thought behind what I chose to do. Perhaps the humiliation never ends for the deaf students in high school where able peers form a part of the class too.

Though the deaf and hard of hearing students have to undergo many unusual experiences, one that happened with me was completely bizarre. As a part of the curriculum, we were supposed to watch a film on Romeo and Juliet. We were to watch daily sessions lasting hours together of the film which was completely beyond my understanding. Not able to withstand anymore, I skipped the session once for which I was later detained.

The negative impact of all these incidences full of humiliation breaks the mental strength of the deaf students. Becoming introvert, shy and even indifferent are some of the effects of such negative incidents.

The classrooms for the deaf students in high school should be more supportive. The support can be extended with the presence of notetakers, oral interpreters etc. All these support services really help in boosting the morale and development of deaf and hard of hearing students.

Today many classrooms are equipped with such full support services that make learning a pleasure for special children. One can also read through an article on hearing impairment and special education for more information on the above topic.