Providing an Online Instructional Medium for the Deaf

Thompson Ph.D., J. (2002). Providing an Online Instructional Medium for the Deaf. In Crawford, C., Willis, D., Carlsen, R., Gibson, I., McFerrin, K., Price, J., & Weber, R. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2002 (pp. 2273-2275). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Thompson discusses the benefits of online learning with non-disabled individuals and how these benefits apply to deaf and hard of hearing students.

Beniftis of online learning are:
Anywhere, antime learning. Online learning can take place 24 hour a day, seven days a week anywhere.
Increased communication. Online learning allows for individuals who would not normally speak up in f2f situation a forum.
Heightened awareness of others. Students and instructors are able to correspond/communicate more than in f2f situations.
Time consideration. Students appreciate beging able to communicate with the instructor more frequently rather than having to rely on set office hours and telephone communication.

Deaf and hard of hearing students appear to benefit from online learning courses in the same ways non-disabled students. They may even benefit more since they are on an equal footing because information is presented in text form and there is no need for an interperter.

In accordance with IDEA and section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities act online learning provides an educational setting in the least restrictive environment and equal access. As newer technologies emerge, faster internet speed and web-captioning, the deaf community will benefit even more.