TY - JOUR
T1 - Educational challenges during the pandemic for students who have hearing loss
AU - Schafer, Erin C.
AU - Dunn, Andrea
AU - Lavi, Alexandra
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new educational challenges for students, teachers, and caregivers due to the changed and varied learning environments, use of face masks, and social distancing requirements. These challenges are particularly pronounced for students with hearing loss who often require specific accommodations to allow for equal access to the curriculum. The purpose of this study was to document the potential difficulties that students with hearing loss faced during the pandemic and to generate recommendations to promote learning and engagement based on findings. Method: A qualitative survey was designed to document the frequency of various learning situations (i.e., in person, remote virtual, and blended), examine the accessibility of technology and course content, and quantify hearing issues associated with safety measures and technology use in school-age students with hearing loss. Survey questions were informed from key educational issues reported in published articles and guidelines. The survey was completed by 416 educational personnel who work with students with hearing loss. Results: Respondents indicated that most of their schools were providing remote or blended (in-person and remote) learning consisting of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Common accommodations for students with hearing loss were only provided some of the time with the exception of sign language interpreters, which were provided for almost all students who required them. According to the respondents, both students and caregivers reported issues or discomfort with the technology required for remote learning. Conclusion: To ensure that students with hearing loss are provided equal access to the curriculum, additional accommodations should be considered to address issues arising from pandemic-related changes to school and learning practices including closed captioning, transcripts/notes, recordings of lectures, sign language interpreters, student check-ins, and family-directed resources to assist with technology issues.
AB - Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new educational challenges for students, teachers, and caregivers due to the changed and varied learning environments, use of face masks, and social distancing requirements. These challenges are particularly pronounced for students with hearing loss who often require specific accommodations to allow for equal access to the curriculum. The purpose of this study was to document the potential difficulties that students with hearing loss faced during the pandemic and to generate recommendations to promote learning and engagement based on findings. Method: A qualitative survey was designed to document the frequency of various learning situations (i.e., in person, remote virtual, and blended), examine the accessibility of technology and course content, and quantify hearing issues associated with safety measures and technology use in school-age students with hearing loss. Survey questions were informed from key educational issues reported in published articles and guidelines. The survey was completed by 416 educational personnel who work with students with hearing loss. Results: Respondents indicated that most of their schools were providing remote or blended (in-person and remote) learning consisting of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Common accommodations for students with hearing loss were only provided some of the time with the exception of sign language interpreters, which were provided for almost all students who required them. According to the respondents, both students and caregivers reported issues or discomfort with the technology required for remote learning. Conclusion: To ensure that students with hearing loss are provided equal access to the curriculum, additional accommodations should be considered to address issues arising from pandemic-related changes to school and learning practices including closed captioning, transcripts/notes, recordings of lectures, sign language interpreters, student check-ins, and family-directed resources to assist with technology issues.
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U2 - 10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00027
DO - 10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00027
M3 - Article
C2 - 34185568
AN - SCOPUS:85110478268
SN - 0161-1461
VL - 52
SP - 889
EP - 898
JO - Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
JF - Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
IS - 3
ER -