Enhancing Learning for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in Malaysia: Teachers' Implementation of Accommodations and...

This study explores the implementation of accommodations and modifications (A&Ms) for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in Malaysian schools, addressing the gap between inclusive policy, holistic support, and actual classroom practice.

A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a cross-sectional survey (n = 196) with focus group discussions involving teachers from inclusive education (IE), special education integration programs (SEIP), and special education schools (SES) across four states.

Survey results indicated that communication strategies were the most frequently implemented by teachers, with repetition and rephrasing being the most commonly used techniques. While implementation varied across other domains, the findings revealed areas for growth, including the need for enhanced training, more effective integration of hearing technologies, stronger collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and greater utilization of assistive tools. Teachers also expressed the need for increased access to inclusive teaching resources and more intentional classroom adjustments to support listening needs.

The findings underscore the importance of flexible, multimodal communication strategies tailored to individual student needs. Sustainable participation and equitable access for DHH students require the systemic implementation of inclusive design across curriculum, learning environments, technology, assessment and teacher professional development. Guided by universal design for learning (UDL), the ICF-CY framework and the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, strengthening inclusive practices depends on enhanced teacher preparation, effective use of assistive technologies and sustained cross-sector collaboration to translate inclusive policy into meaningful classroom practice.