Creating a welcoming and supportive campus for all students is crucial, especially for deaf students. Deaf students face unique challenges when transitioning to college, and these challenges can sometimes make it hard for them to stay engaged and succeed. To help these students feel like they belong, and encourage them to stay in school, institutions should make a campus-wide commitment to improving the campus experience for deaf students.
Recent surveys of deaf college students reveal that many feel disconnected from campus life, as stated by one student’s comment that: “Loneliness is probably the most challenging thing.” The DPAIS surveyed students about three key areas: Accommodating Learning Environment, Campus Connectedness, and Deaf Affirming Campus. The results showed an average score of 2.6 out of 4. About two-thirds (64%) of the students said they were unlikely to join campus activities. This lack of participation can be linked to how students feel about their place on campus, which affects their overall experience and success.
Why Belonging Matters
Research shows that when students feel like they belong, they do better in school, stick with their studies, and have better mental health. This sense of belonging is especially important for students from marginalized groups, including deaf students.
Interventions that support student belonging are most effective for students of color, disabled students, LGBTQIA+ students, and others from historically marginalized groups. For deaf students, it’s important that belonging efforts address their multiple identities and offer genuine opportunities to be recognized and valued.
Deaf students have shared their feelings and experiences:
- “Not having access to campus life and activities because the access office needs two weeks’ notice for any interpreter needs… It’s very isolating. I become drained and exhausted trying and attempting to read lips. I usually just smile and nod or don’t go.”
- “It can be difficult to fit in as the only deaf student in a large university.”
- “I found out there are only 6 deaf people including myself at my current school and I have no way to get in contact with them except in an ASL club which they may not be in.”
- “Finding opportunities to interact with my community is hard. Being looked at as ‘different’ is irritating and is a daily source of stress. I often find that I have to prove myself three or four times as often as my hearing peers do.”
Making a Difference
Creating a strong sense of belonging requires both psychological support and structural changes by colleges. Campus divisions and departments should seek opportunities to collaborate and share responsibility for access. Here’s how campuses can improve…
Short-Term Actions
- Establish protocols for accessibility requests and ensure departments/offices advertise accessibility for programs and services. Schedule interpreters and captioning for orientation activities, events and first-year experiences.
- Clearly communicate that finding a sense of belonging takes time.
- Regularly ask for feedback from students. Assess current networking opportunities for deaf students and brainstorm ways in which they can improve and grow.
- Use teaching methods that include everyone and respect cultural differences. Consider setting up a U-shaped seating arrangement for better visibility in classrooms, set up a central notetaking system for students to share notes, ensure that all visual aids are captioned, and be an ally by encouraging accessibility for all.
Long-Term Strategies
- Make students aware of leadership opportunities on campus and encourage them to get involved. This could include roles like Student Government, Resident Assistants, or club leaders. They can also volunteer to mentor new students or join clubs that match their interests.
- Increase the number of deaf students and teachers on campus. Hire deaf teachers for subjects beyond ASL/Deaf Studies and actively recruit employees from the deaf community.
- Include deaf people in planning clubs, events, and activities. Encourage deaf students to lead ASL or Deaf Student Clubs, invite deaf guest speakers, and partner with the deaf community to host events like sports games or plays.
- Build supportive communities in dorms and classrooms. Hire deaf Resident Assistants, host events for deaf students and ASL learners, and train staff to better understand and help deaf students.
- Help new deaf students connect with mentors in their field. For deaf mentors, reach out to local deaf organizations. For hearing mentors, make sure there are ways to provide any needed accommodations for meetings.
Find Your Path Forward with Success Stories From the Field
A great example of positive change is that of Aurora University. From advanced planning and developing action plans to discussing solutions with colleagues, Aurora University is being proactive about a recent influx of deaf students on their campus—seeking resources to make big changes as staff and faculty work toward a better understanding of what deaf students need, to make their campus more accessible.
Portland Community College has also recently standardized a practice of utilizing deaf student advocates to advance concerns, have deaf professionals assist in language assessments to determine and provide observations about student’s learning style, language preferences, and accommodations such as speech-to-text services and deaf interpreters. Deaf tutors have also been implemented to foster better engagement with the subject matter and increase direct preparation from a qualified deaf instructor. By meeting student needs, this practice enhances the sense of belonging in their academic experience.
For Bay Path University, their starting point for strengthening rapport and understanding accommodations within their Student Life/Residence Life and Admissions departments was with NDC’s Improving Campus Access facilitated course. Bay Path’s Director of Accessibility Services had this to say about NDC’s facilitated course: “Not only have the courses supported my practice with basic and intermediate skills related to supporting Deaf students, but the certification and structured courses allowed me to pinpoint areas and deficits in our systems that I may not have seen until there was a problem.”
By taking steps similar to those listed above, institutions across the country can help deaf students feel more included and supported, leading to a better overall college experience for deaf students. Whether you are looking for ideas and strategies for coordinating accessibility services, ideas for improving overall campus access for deaf students, or implementing an accommodation request form or database for deaf student requests, you can get in touch with our Help team to get expert support today by emailing us at help@nationaldeafcenter.org.
Get Resources and Customized Support from NDC
You can also have students complete the DPAIS survey to get a customized report you can use to make improvements, and become an expert in accessibility practices for disability services professionals by joining our free online certificate program. Remember, NDC is here to help!
