Regular teaching practices and classroom settings often give an unfair advantage to children who can hear over those who cannot. However, with an emphasis on equal opportunities, and the rights of deaf people, there has been a recent surge in the inclusion of deaf or hard-of-hearing children in regular classrooms. This is known as “integration”, or “mainstreaming”, and has recently come to be termed “inclusive education” or “inclusion”. Deaf or hard-of-hearing students can find it extremely challenging to cope in regular classroom settings due to the lack of comprehension.
To promote inclusion and help deaf children adapt, schools need to make some accommodations for them. To give them easier access to the educational opportunities that their peers get, schools and universities can hire professionally trained educational ASL interpreters. These interpreters can help deaf children by translating lessons and other classroom communication and instructions.
Primary responsibilities of an educational ASL interpreter
In an educational setting, an ASL interpreter is expected to do the following-
- Interpret instructional information accurately
- Interpret content without any personal bias or emotions
- Interpret from sign-to-voice and vice versa without any omission or censorship
- Help the deaf student in communicating with teachers, peers, and others in the school
- Clarify the teacher’s directions
- Inform appropriate authorities in case of any ill-treatment, or bullying of the deaf student
- Convey the deaf student’s questions and/or answers to the teacher and the rest of the class
- If necessary, interpret questions during a test without revealing the answer
- Continually update the teachers and other educators on the deaf student’s progress and performance
Benefits of an educational ASL interpreter
“Inclusion” of deaf children in regular classrooms is not possible without having an educational interpreter. The presence of an ASL interpreter in an educational setting has many benefits. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways in which an interpreter can help the students-
Improved school performance
Sometimes poor performance in school may not be a result of a lack of interest or poor aptitude. This is especially true in the case of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. With the guidance and help of an ASL interpreter, deaf students are better able to understand instructional information. Subsequently, this can help improve their performance in class.
Grasping of spoken language
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing often have trouble with spoken language as they are unable to hear the speech and its various sounds. One of the main benefits of having a sign language interpreter is that the use of sign language can increase access to spoken language by the deaf community. Studies have proven that sign language positively impacts the acquisition of spoken language by deaf children. Exposure to sign language at an early age is important as it sets a strong foundation for language development.
Increased social interactions
With the help of an interpreter in the classroom, deaf students can participate in social activities and interactions. Complete or impartial hearing loss may hamper their inclusion in social interactions, making them feel alienated from the rest of their peers. An ASL interpreter can help bridge this gap. This also helps in the development of social skills that are important for the development of a child.
Improved cognitive functions
Sign language is a visual-based language that employs multiple senses of the child- vision, touch, and kinesthesia. This can help in the development of cognitive functions in a deaf child. The language helps deaf and hard-of-hearing students associate signs with meaning. This also serves to improve the memory of deaf children as they may find it difficult to retain information that is purely auditory in nature.
Is your classroom accessible?
With an increase in the number of deaf children in classrooms, it is becoming more clear that the classroom setting itself needs to be modified. Apart from hiring specially trained educational interpreters, there is a lot more that schools can do to ensure that their classrooms are accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. While hiring ASL interpreters can make the classroom experience a lot easier for deaf students, there are other factors that can contribute to making the classroom a welcoming space. Here are some ways to ensure that your classroom is accessible-
- Remove or reduce visual noise- Deaf and hard-of-hearing students mostly rely on their eyes to understand communication. Unnecessary visual distractions such as flashing videos can pose a challenge for the student to pay attention to visual signs and expressions.
- Avoid harsh lighting- Lighting plays a vital role in creating an inclusive classroom. While dark lighting can make it hard for the student to see, lighting that is too bright can be strenuous to the eyes.
- Use visual aids to explain concepts- Using visual supports like graphs, pictures, and maps can increase the understanding of students, who majorly rely on visual communication
- Rearrange the class seating- By rearranging the class seating you can ensure that everyone can see everyone, making it easier for deaf students to communicate with their peers
- Only address students when you are in front of them- To ensure that the student fully understands what you are saying, get their attention before you speak to them.
- Notes for classes- Deaf students are mostly focused on catching visual cues and understanding what is being said. This gives them little time to make notes. By providing notes before or after the class, you can ensure better retention.
- Talk directly to the deaf student- It is important to make the student feel seen. The interpreter merely acts as an aid to the student.
Conclusion
Educational ASL interpreters can bring inclusivity to a regular classroom. With their work, they also create a positive impact on the learning and overall development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. In general, the presence of ASL interpreters in an educational setting creates a welcoming atmosphere in the classroom and instills a sense of acceptance in all students. The need and impact of educational ASL interpreters cannot be negated. Educational Interpreters are specially trained to work with children to improve their performance and communication skills. With the help of Unspoken Language Service’s trained Educational Interpreters, you can create a welcoming space for your students and optimize learning. Unspoken Language Services provides educational interpreting services for preschool, elementary, junior and high school, and post-secondary. To know more about educational interpreting and how you can benefit from it, make sure to reach out to our Support Team with all your queries.
Thumbnail Photo Credit to: Photo by Max Fischer
