Hearing Impairments

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Assistive Technologies

Individuals with hearing impairments access most Web content without assistive technologies because most Web pages are composed of text and images that do not require the ability to hear.

Web Access Challenges

Students with hearing impairments cannot access audio content unless an alternate format is provided. A student with a hearing impairment may need:

• transcripts of audio clips,
  
  
• synchronized captions for multimedia to ensure the visual content and the text alternative for audio content is presented at the same time, or
  
  
• interpreters, real-time captions, or telephone relay services to allow participation in telephone or video conferences.

The How-To section of this Web site describes how to overcome many of these access challenges.

Ask a Student UMUC student and staff member Susan Pollack describes accessibility issues for students in Web-based courses who are deaf. How do you navigate the Web? What do you like or dislike about online courses? What recommendations would you give to faculty?

Accessibility Scenario

The Situation: Midway through your Web-based course on World War II, you assign students to visit a Web site that contains audio clips of veterans speaking about their war experiences. Students must listen to the testimonials and select one from which to develop a written report.

The Challenge: One of your students, Lisa, sends e-mail to you explaining that she is deaf and cannot complete the assignment.

Some Solutions: Ask Lisa for suggestions regarding how she might best access the audio content. Since you did not receive notification that Lisa has a disability, ask her if she has followed university procedures for registering and requesting accommodations through the disability office. Work with your distance learning program administrators to provide the most appropriate accommodations. One option is to ask the Webmaster of the site to provide transcripts, and suggest that the Webmaster add links to the transcripts on their Web site for other visitors who are deaf (or who don't have sound or speakers on their computer). You may decide to develop transcripts of the audio clips at your institution. Another option, if Lisa knows sign language, is to hire a sign language interpreter to work with her in a convenient location.

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