Tutoring Hearing Impaired Students

[tere molinder-hogue <tmhogue@iupui.edu>]

I've been dabbling in wcenter archives and ran across a thread of postings
about tutoring deaf students.  We've had several hearing impaired students
(I *really* object to calling them "deaf and dumb" -- stems from
childhood experiences;  I have two deaf brothers) this semester and have
discussed ways to support them.  An undergrad tutor's interest in
tutoring ASL got snagged, as she worked with a pair of hearing impaired
students, to the point she has received a grant to study ASL students and
writing centers this summer.  May I toss out the following posting and
invite conversation on the subject?

A posting from our writing center's internal list:

Deaf students' writing difficulties are closely akin to the challenges ESL
students face.  Most of them use ASL (American Sign Language) as a "first
language" and its syntax, grammatical structures, etc. are very different
from "standard" English.  Verbs are usually offered in present tense (ASL
uses other markers to establish time) and articles aren't used -- as in
many Asian languages.  So many of the same issues crop up in ASL papers
that tutors see in ESL writing.

Add to that the fact many of these students don't *hear* or don't hear
well enough to learn about language aurally -- their experience with
the standard English you and I take for granted comes strictly out of a
book -- Imagine learning a language in the absence of sound!

Also like ESL students, the Deaf Community has a very strong cultural
identity that departs in many ways from mainstream American culture (if
you have several hours, I'll unload about how my brothers and their
deafness has impacted our family, God love 'em!);  i.e., they think very
differently than most of us do on a variety of issues and feel, often,
very divorced from mainstream American culture.  Many deaf persons own
heavy baggage, for example, about the "hearing" world.

When tutoring deaf or hearing impaired students, here are some issues to
keep in mind:

1.  Speak directly to the STUDENT, not the interpreter.  Side
conversations with the interpreter are not good -- they cut out the
student.  Carry on a conversation with the STUDENT,
make eye contact with HER, invest your attention in the WRITER, *not* the
interpreter.

2.  Speak more slowly.  Be aware deaf people oft survive in the hearing
world on their ability to read lips.

3.  As with ESL students, be aware some idioms don't "translate."  If you
use 'em, test 'em to make sure the student understands what you are
saying.  Read facial expressions and body language.  Change tack as
necessary.

4.  Speaking of facial expressions, the deaf, lacking one sense often rely
on others.  My brother Matt is like a hawk -- he scopes situations, scans
rooms, sees detail I never see.  And he's acutely attuned to facial
expression because of this reliance on sight.  Using your face to
communicate pleasure, puzzlement, etc. can potentially be a powerful
communication tool.  

5.  Practice the compassion we talk about extending to all students.  Many
deaf folks are *very* sensitive to the social implications of the
situations they're in.  Hearing people often don't know how to react, are
uncomfortable.  Don't be.  Treat deaf students as you would any other
student and make a special effort to welcome them into the Center.  If you
have worked with a deaf student before, light up and smile BIG when you
see her -- *welcome* her back to the UWC.

As sister to deaf sibs, one of the most painful experiences of my life
occured in the UWC during my first year of tutoring.  A deaf student came
in and the tutor at the desk was rude, tried to make him go away.  Think
of how that student felt!!  Try to imagine what it's like not to hear --
not just to speak a different language, but to be on the sidelines because
you cannot hear *any* conversation.  I've thought about it much, and like
Helen Keller, would rather be blind than deaf (God forfend) -- because no
group of people are as cut off from everyday human interaction as the deaf
are..  In the UWC, practice compassion and welcome these students!!



_____________________________________***_______________________________________

Tere Molinder-Hogue		           "To base thought only on speech
University Writing Center	              is to try nailing whispers
CA 502L  274-4499/2049			              to the wall. 	 
425 University Blvd.			        Writing freezes thought, 		
Indpls., IN  46202			     offers it up for inspection."

							  Jack Rosenthal
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