Deaf students have unique linguistic and educational experiences, which can result in an inaccurate measurement of the student’s knowledge and abilities during exams. Test Accessibility: What Professionals Need to Know mentions several factors contribute to the barriers for deaf test-takers, including:
- Limited access to English language for deaf students means tests may have terms they are unfamiliar with.
- Language style and test structure is usually different than everyday English, and will be in a different language for ASL users.
Online courses pose unique challenges for deaf students as the content is heavily text-based. Accommodations, such as extended test time, allows deaf students to access English-based text.
Consult with the student and disability services professional to determine how extended time can be applied to tests and other online course content. Additional testing accommodations are also discussed in Why Test Accommodations Are Important for Deaf Students.
