Practical Activities and difficulties with Hearing
Remember, disability is a highly individualised experience. People with the same disability may have very different capabilities and/or needs, so it is always best to discuss any adaptations to practice, the environment or equipment directly with the disabled person themselves rather than making assumptions about what adjustments may be suitable.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may need to lip-read, and if this is the case, then the teacher's face - or the face of anyone else in the learning environment - needs to be visible.
Both student and signer or lip-speaker will derive great benefit from being given an outline of any important material beforehand. Signs for new terminology need to be devised in advance: signs for specialised vocabulary such as technical terms used in engineering or jargon used in leisure and tourism are not instantly available to signers. In general, it is helpful to supplement aural information with visual information for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Teachers/trainers need to give consideration as to how they can ensure that the faces of those who are speaking during practical sessions can be seen by those who lip read. This can sometimes be quite challenging, for example in teaching horse riding. In this case, it would be sensible to set up a system of communication by signs which triggers a behaviour/reaction agreed in advance, for example, simple hand signals to move from a trot to a canter.
If a student with auditory difficulties is being excluded during a practical session because of several people talking at once (which makes lip-reading impossible), the teacher could control the situation by passing a pencil or baton from person-to-person, with only the holder of the baton being allowed to speak.
It is important for teachers and trainers to consider the environment in which the practicals will take place. Background noise can be amplified by hearing aids where room loops are not installed. Students might use equipment, such as radio aid systems, to get round the problem, and in these cases, speakers might be asked to wear a radio microphone, which is not a difficult request to comply with. Alternatively, a change of room to a quieter side of the building may help. Rooms with soft furnishings can also help as they reduce echo.
