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Hearing Impairment

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Case Study 1

Jean has a hearing impairment. She is currently working but wants to upgrade her skills in order to broaden her range of employment choices.

She has decided to attend a series of courses delivered at a TAFE college. She wears a hearing aid and is able to follow spoken communication face to face in a quiet environment with one or two other people. She is able to use a telephone modified to provide additional volume. Her own speech is not affected by her hearing disability.

Her first step is to contact the Disability Liaison Officer at the college she will be attending. Together they will discuss any problems she can foresee and ways to overcome them.

They will also discuss any other form of support she may need.

Her main concern is the tutors being unaware of her disability as she does not wish to draw attention to it. The Disability Officer can assist her in explaining any special needs to tutors.

This may involve:

provision of printed notes prior to lessons/lectures so that she can familiarise herself with the topic

adjusting seating arrangements so that she can see other class members as well as tutors when they are speaking

making sure that lighting is suitable

providing a transcript of audio cassettes and any videos that might be used

using captioned videos when possible

reducing background noise in the room

getting other students to speak one at a time and not to speak while classes proceed

using charts, overheads and diagrams where possible

using an audio loop for lectures

getting regular feedback from Jean to ensure that she is following what is being said

taking care not to speak while moving around, looking down or facing away from the class

repeating questions that other students ask so that she hears both the question and reply. This is particularly important when students are sitting in lecture style seating.

Jean may also request a notetaker for a certain number of hours in the course. This will allow her to focus on the speaker and not have to look away to take notes.

The Disability Officer will keep in regular contact with Jean to discuss any unforeseen problems that may arise. He/she will arrange for Jean to have a special orientation tour of the library and make staff librarians aware of communication strategies to pursue when speaking to Jean either face to face or by telephone.

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