Hearing Impairment Accommodations in Schools

Accommodations play a vital role in the lives of students living with disabilities. Learning can be difficult and challenging for students with hearing impairments, and these students often require special services to help them through their studies. The accommodations often have to be customized and made flexible based on the nature of the disability and the academic environment.

Possible Accommodations for Class Sessions

There are several ways in which students with hearing impairments can be accommodated.

Some of them include use of hearing amplification, sign language, note-taking, captioning, and optimizing seating positions in the classroom. Students or guardians are often required to alert the Director of Student Services and teachers at the beginning of the school year so that these special considerations can be taken in for all classes, particularly those that involve watching films, movies, or listening to audio of any kind.

Some students require Assistive Listening Devices for amplification of sound in the classroom. In some instances, the teacher or lecturer can put on a wireless FM microphone that transmits their amplified voice to the student’s hearing aid receiver. If this system is available, students or parents should inform the school in advance to get access to the equipment at the beginning of the semester or school year and agree to give it back at the end of the semester so that it can be of help to other students in the future.

Accommodations During Examinations

Many students with hearing impairments require additional time to complete their exams because the hearing loss sometimes affects the ability to process written information. A student with a hearing impairment may need more time to read and understand the text and mathematical concepts. Considering the student's speed, extra time can be granted based on their performance of mock examinations. Students with a hearing impairment generally require a quiet room for their exams, additional time, and a reader or a live voice as opposed to a computer-generated voice in some cases. All or some of these requirements may be available based on the school or the learning environment.

Though hearing impairments can make learning in a traditional school environment more difficult, identifying hearing issues at a young age can allow the school to make appropriate accommodations. High Level Speech & Hearing Center has identified and treated over 5,000 children for hearing and speech disorders through our community initiatives and mobile hearing screenings in New Orleans-area schools. We offer personalized service and meticulous attention to every patient according to their needs. If you suspect your child has trouble hearing, schedule an appointment today for a hearing assessment at our Uptown New Orleans or Harahan clinic today.