There are several different informal environmental assessments that provide information on how to adapt or modify learning materials, environments, and activities for the learner who is hard of hearing and/or deaf. Some of these assessments are targeted for learners who are deafblind.

Categories and Features of Your Learner's Environments

Many of these assessments contain similar categories that feature modifications, adaptations, and accommodations for your learner to function in his home, school, or community environments. What is most important to remember is just because your learner functions one way in his school environment he may function differently in his or her home environment. Additionally, your learner will function differently in familiar and unfamiliar environments. Therefore, you may want to conduct an environmental assessment for your learner in different environments in order to optimize his functioning.

Classroom adaptations for the hard of hearing student include the following:

• reducing ambient noise

• ensure there is adequate lighting

• preferential seating

• captioned material

• room for interpreter (if necessary)

• students back is to the light source

• teachers back is away from the light source

• use a black smock when communicating with students who need an interpreter

• acoustical tiles on ceiling and walls

• rugs on floor

• teachers need to keep hands away from their faces when speaking

• make sure teachers and peers face the learner while speaking

• encourage rephrasing when the learner does not understand

• learners may tire easy so provide some breaks

• give copy of overheads or PowerPoint presentations to the student

• teachers and students need to stand in one place while talking

Using Information to Determine Environmental Modifications and Adaptations

To determine which of these assessments best fit your learner's needs, you will need to gather information from the test results that were conducted in questions two through five in this module. The results of these assessments will provide you with information that will help your learner make the most of her residual hearing. If your learner is deaf, the information that you have collected will help your learner make the most of her other senses (e.g., visual, tactual, auditory, proprioceptive, smell, kinesthetic, etc.).

Task for Completion and Discussion #6:

Learners like to play with toys that have sounds even if they are profoundly deaf. Older learners also enjoy participating in activities that have sounds. You will need to do some research on calibrated toys and activities which will give you the name of the toy and activity and the decibel level at which it can be heard.

You will need to make a one page table (horizontally or vertically). Your table will contain two columns. List the name of the toy or activity in the first column. List the decibel level of the toy and activity in the second column. You will be able to find this information on the internet, national clearinghouses, or loan libraries.

For More Information:

If you would like further information about the different causes and conditions of hearing loss, some of the below listed resources may be useful to you.

A-Z Deaf-Blindness
Type in the URL: http://www.deafblind.com/index.html
Click on the link that is associated with your topic.

DB Link
Type in the URL: http://www.tr.wou.edu/dblink/lib/topics/topics.cfm">
Click on DB Library.
Click on the link that is associated with your topic.

Deaf and Hearing Impairments
Type in the URL: http://ericec.org/faq/deaf.html">
Click on the link that is associated with your topic.

Meeting the Needs of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Educational Services Guidelines. (2006).
Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Inc.