Improving the experience of deaf students in higher education

This article identifies and critically analyses the difficulties faced by deaf students studying in higher education settings and the potential support that they require. Deaf students face significant barriers in gaining access to information and learning in the classroom. At the same time, the number of such students attending universities and colleges has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. Little known about the potential solutions to these problems, and there is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of support services made available, including interpreting, note-taking, real-time captioning (a written rendering of the dialogue spoken, in the same language) and tutoring, particularly when attempting to take into account the impact of such support on academic achievement. The role of motivation is discussed alongside barriers and levers to education in this group. The role of the lecturer in supporting these students is explored.