The modern education curriculum calls for inclusive classroom environment where a teacher takes both normal children and children with special needs. Teachers need more skills and experiences on how to handle children with lower incidence disabilities like those with hearing impairments. The institution should consider these accommodations when addressing learning and access needs of learners with hearing impairment.
First, the tutor should consider including a statement in the syllabus that specifies issues associated with accommodating such learners. Identification of all students with hearing impairment should be the first process towards developing accommodation needs. Second, the teacher should come up with amplification options such as personal hearing devices (aids), individual FM system, Sound-field FM system, or Walkman-style FM system. Such devices assist in amplifying the sound in class; hence, the learner can easily follow the lesson (Anderson).
Second, the teacher should come up with a communication accommodation by having particular seating arrangements. Students with hearing impairments should sit near the teacher and away from walls and windows or any other place they may create a disturbance. Moreover, the teacher should always create student's attention before uttering a work to help them follow the voice. Additionally, the class should have as limited sound and visual distractions as possible. Remember learners with hearing impairments must pay more attention to what the teacher says and any interruption interferes with their concentration (Anderson).
Third, the teacher should consider modifying the curriculum to fit the needs of these students. The class requires modifications on reading assignments (short and free from phonics); written assignments (short essays and make evaluation criteria inclusive); offering an extra tutorial to students with needs; and developing an alternative curriculum to meet the learners' needs. On the other hand, the school curriculum requires modification by reducing the number of tests and test items, providing tests with reading assistance, giving learners extra time to undertake the test and using alternative tests (Anderson).
Finally, the teacher should encourage physical, social, psychological, and other forms of support to learners with hearing impairments. The most effective considerations based on these are frequent counseling; teaching them sign language instructions; requesting parents, and families to visit their children and enquire their progress; paying their fees; and engaging them in social activities such as games, competitions, and charity works (Anderson).
Work Cited
Anderson, Karen. L. "Accommodations for Students with Hearing Loss: Adapting the school
environment to support the learner with hearing loss.” Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss, Web: March 16, 2016.
