No matter which direction your institution goes for the upcoming fall semester—online, hybrid, or face-to-face—don’t let your deaf students fall through the cracks. Colleges, universities, and postsecondary training programs have a legal responsibility to provide equal access to deaf students when they shift online. The only way forward is for us all to work together.
This guide has key strategies to support deaf success on your campus this fall and beyond. Every link is to an NDC resource, tip sheet, or toolkit on that topic that can help.
Key Strategies
Consider the Whole Student
- Remember that access is more than accommodations in the classroom. It is the full campus experience.
- Learn from current deaf college students about their strategies for navigating different challenges during the pandemic.
- Keep deaf students connected with each other and with deaf mentors.
- Support them in making the best use of technology and using proactive strategies to stay in touch when learning goes remote.
- Plan for critical opportunities with internships and offsite accessibility, and encourage students to connect with vocational rehabilitation to coordinate supports.
Revisit Accommodations
- Consider how face masks can affect accessibility and learning for deaf students. NDC’s tips can help improve communication where face masks are required.
- Ensure that interpreters and speech-to-text services are available when needed in online or hybrid learning environments.
- Facilitate communication with these five tools for streamlining your intake, contracts, and feedback protocol.
- Learn from the successes and setbacks of others in higher education.
Ensure Online Learning is Accessible
- Think inclusively in your online course design and instructional strategies, including using a variety of materials and providing accessible ways for students to interact.
-
Set up protocols and share tips with your instructors that help facilitate clear communication and sharing.
- Caption all of your videos and media, and do not rely on auto captions, such as those on YouTube.
- Periodically check in with the student and everyone else involved: including faculty, access providers, staff and administrators.
Looking for a printable version of this page? Download here!
