How to Help Deaf Students Using Technology

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 14, 2021

Deaf students are just like all other students, except they have hearing loss. When dealing with deaf students, the use of technology can greatly help your interactions, increase the speed and ease of your interactions, help them learn, and allow you and the student to interact much easier. If you are dealing with deaf students in your life, there are ways to help them.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Technology for Captioning

1
Use caption software to record lectures. The most basic way to help your deaf student is to convert your lectures into text that they can read. When you are giving a lecture, giving instructions, or talking in general to your classroom, your deaf student can use a computer program to translate your spoken words into text they can read. This will ensure that your deaf student gets that same information as all your students.
- These programs are far from perfect. Your deaf student may need some training on common mistakes the programs make. They should also be able to follow up with you if you have questions about uncommon mistakes or issues they have.
- Common software used for this purpose include Dragon Naturally Speaking and Caption Mic.
2
Have a live note taker caption discussions on a computer. If your school is not able to provide caption software that can convert the lectures into text, ask a student in your class who types quickly to take notes for your deaf student. Computers can be set up where what is being entered on one computer can be filtered directly to another computer. With the notes transferred between these computers, your deaf student will be able to read what you are discussing in class in real time.
- There may be a program through your school for a professional note taker or stenographer to provide these services. Ask your administration for help if you are unsure of the policies in your school.
- There are also professional programs, such as C-Print and Computer Aided Realtime Translation (CART) that allow for a on or off site stenographer to provide a verbatim account of your lectures to your deaf students. These transcripts are transmitted via computers or large monitor screens.^{[1]
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- Make sure this service is available when your student is working in small groups as well.
3
Find programs that convert speech to sign language. There are some software options that will convert spoken word into computer created sign language. With this kind of software, your words are recorded by a computer, it is converted into text and then output on the computer screen as sign language.
- These programs will also work in the other direction, where your student can reply using sign language as well. This option requires a video camera.
- Software such as iCommunicator and MotionSavvy UNI are used for these kinds of services.^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Devices for Communication

1
Convert written words to sound. In order for your deaf students to feel as if they are participating like other students, look into software that will convert any text they type into spoken words. This way, your deaf students can participate in your class discussions without you having to read their responses.
- There are computer programs available that will convert the messages that a deaf student writes into spoken phrases. Have this program installed on a few computers in your classroom so your deaf student can use them.
- Also look into licensing the software for your student’s personal laptop so they can use it in class as well.
- Try to prepare your other students for the different way the computerized voice will sound. You want to make your deaf student feel included without the others students calling them out for being different.
2
Use text to speech phones. Similar to programs installed on computers, there are many different apps and cell phone programs that will convert text messages to vocal responses. These can be especially helpful when your deaf student is working in small groups or in other situations where a large laptop or computer may get in the way.
- These software options will also send messages back to the student, converting their classmates’ vocal responses to text and sending it to them through the Bluetooth service.^{[3]
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3
Try handwriting recognition software. If your school is unable to get text to voice technology, handwriting recognition software may be useful. These programs use a pen or board hooked up to a computer to communicate anything written with or on them. With these technologies, your deaf student can write down a response that can be easily projected for you or their classmates to see.
- With this technology, they can chime into the conversation without having to hand write it and hand it to you on a normal sheet of paper.
- Look for technology such as Digital Pen and Interactive Whiteboards (SMART Board).
4
Use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDDs). TDDs are specialized phones that allow the transfer of text messages over phone lines. The deaf person writes the message on a keyboard and message gets relayed either to another TDD enabled phone or through an operator. The operator recites the messages and writes the responses back to the originator of the call. These can also be used to initiate calls from a hearing person to a deaf person, which will be translated in the same way.
- This technology would be helpful for teachers when they want to connect with a deaf student or their parents outside of school. These calls might relate to conferences, teacher work days, or other school events.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Additional Technologies

1
Incorporate more visuals into your lectures. In your lectures, instead of relying on vocal descriptions or audio lectures alone, incorporate more visual materials in your lectures. This will give your deaf student a visual representation of the concepts to which you are describing, which will make it easier for them to understand it before they see your notes.
- You can do this easily with computer presentations using computer programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint or online presentation tools such as Prezi.
- Make sure you provide captions for any image you use so your student will know exactly what the visual examples represent.
- Try to relate similar or previously discussed concepts together by linking their visualizations. This will not only help your deaf students make the connections, the visual reminders will also help your other students as well.^{[4]
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2
Show videos with captions. If you are showing a film in class, avoid those that lack captions. In these situations, your deaf student may miss out on a key point in your lesson by missing the contents of the video.
- Most store bought DVDs have closed captions. Make sure to play these when you watch a video in class.
- There are online services, such as the Described and Captioned Media Program, that provide 1,000s of videos already embedded with captions. YouTube also has a closed caption option if you are able to find your video clip uploaded there.
- If you cannot provide captions, look for a transcript of the contents or ask a fellow student to transcribe the video for your student so they will be able to receive the information.
3
Use electronic handouts. If you know you are going to have a lecture heavy day, give a print out of your lecture notes or class summary to your deaf students. These can be helpful in digital form so your student can annotate them while they are in class.
- Being able to see a written version of your lecture will help your student relate any activities in class to the concepts you write down. These will be helpful in conjunction to the notes they receive of your live lectures.
4
Provide information on projectors. If you add new information in a lecture that is not in notes given to your student, use an overhead projector to communicate this information. You can also use a projector to give visual examples if your deaf student is having trouble understanding a concept.
- This method is also helpful to communicate homework or other time sensitive information not covered in their notes.
5
Talk to your institution and student. When you are trying to accommodate a deaf student into your classroom, contact your institutions Office of Disability Services. They will have knowledge of what policies are already in place for your school and how you can get access to them. You should also ask your student if they have preferences about what technology would work best for them.
- If you already have ideas about what your student prefers, take these ideas to the Office of Disabilities and see if they will can help. If not, present your student with what is available and see what they would like to use the most.
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