Leveraging Assets: The Key to Success for
Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students
Cathy McLeod, Mary Morrison and Pauline Annarino
CAPED Pre-Conference October 13, 2013
3 components that lead to strong student outcomes:
 Academics
 Accommodations
 Attitudes
ACADEMICS
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Who’s on your campus?
What are the STUDENTS like?
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Numbers
Student profiles: What do they look like?
-Traditional or nontraditional students?
-Full time or part time?
Academic strengths and weaknesses
-LD?
Types of courses they want to take
-Developmental courses?
-Courses for college credit?
Entrance Criteria
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Does your institution have admission requirements?
If so, what are they?
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Retention Rates
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How are students who are deaf/hh faring?
Do you know why?
“Students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing (SDHH) have low college completion rates,
estimated at 25-30% of those who start postsecondary training.
College readiness initiatives focus primarily on individuals and their abilities, not on the
capacities of postsecondary institutions to serve them.”
ACCOMMODATIONS
Inside the Classroom:
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TYPICALLY-thought-of ACCOMMODATIONS
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CART providers, C-Print captionists, Typewell transcribers
Sign language interpreters of Cued Speech transliterators
Notetakers
Or a COMBINATION of these Interpreters+Notetakers
But what about:
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Captioning of instructional videos
Seating arrangements
Classrooms set up for VISUAL LEARNERS of all kinds
Outside the Classroom
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Tutoring
TEST ACCOMMODATIONS, including:
Extended time for testing,
separate room for administration of the test,
read-aloud or signed test instructions,
and read-aloud or signed test items (except for tests of reading ability).
But what about:
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Extracurricular
Sports, clubs, teams
Lectures
Theater events
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Sororities and fraternities
College is about EXPERIENCES, not just classes.
ATTUTUDES
at·ti·tude
a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a
person's behavior
•
the way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way
•
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in
certain ways
1. Attitudes that Lead to Strong Outcomes
What are the attitudes that lead to strong outcomes and why?
2. Barriers that contribute to achieving strong outcomes
Barrier 1: The Number of Attitudes Being Navigated
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
DSPS Coordinator
Support service Personnel
Deaf Student (deaf acceptance and hearing attitude)
Hearing Personnel (professor, counselor, administration, etc.)
Other
Barrier 2: One’s Comfort Zone and Understanding of the Situation and the People Involved
Don’t leave the comfort of the box.
How one reacts or impacts a situation is often driven by one’s comfort and understanding of
the situation AND the people involved, which in turn shapes the person’s “attitude.”
Including our own.
Comfort zone – deaf vs. blind. When I work with deaf, I do not think, when I work with blind
I’m continually thinking about wanting to do it right.
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Barrier 3: Cultural Predisposition
One way to look at attitude is through a cultural lens, and to do that I’d like to take a few
moments to share one tool that not only provides a way to talk about cultural impact but also
provides a psychometrically sound tool for measuring one’s cultural sensitivity.
Developed by Dr. Mitchell Hammer, the Intercultural Development Inventory looks at how our
cultural development (including deafness) shapes how we deal with “attitude.”
OPPORTUNITIES for IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES
mit·i·gate
make less severe, serious, or painful
to cause to become less harsh or hostile
How do we change behavior?
DENIAL: Not noticing much cultural difference around you. Maintaining separation from others who
are different. Does recognize readily recognized cultural differences (food, holidays, etc.), has not
even given thought to the culture beyond the “food.”
Polarization: Defense. A strong commitment to one’s own thoughts and feelings about culture and
cultural difference. Aware of other cultures around you, but with a relatively incomplete
understanding of them and probably fairly strong negative feelings or stereotypes about some of
them. This may lead to some distrust of, and a tendency to be judgmental about, cultural behavior
or ideas that differ from one’s own.
Polarization: Reversal is the opposite of Defense. The person feels that some other culture is better
and tends to exhibit distrust of, and be judgmental of, their own culture.
MINIMIZATION: Aware that other cultures exist all around you, with some knowledge about
differences in customs and celebrations. Not putting down other cultures. People from other
cultures are pretty much like you, under the surface. Treating other people as you would like to be
treated. A tendency to assume you understand the situation the same as a person from another
culture.
ACCEPTANCE: Aware that other cultures exist all around you, with some knowledge about
differences in customs and celebrations. Not putting down other cultures. People from other
cultures are pretty much like you, under the surface. Treating other people as you would like to be
treated. A tendency to assume you understand the situation the same as a person from another
culture.
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can it be changed at all -- we don’t change another’s attitude/behavior, they change their own
behavior/attitude-- Instead --- We create opportunities for them to change their behavior. On one
end of the spectrum – put in their face (make everyone take the IDI)
Let’s take the element of “comfort zone.” How does one increase another’s comfort zone?
Cawthon, S., Schoffstall, S., & Garberoglio, C. L. (2014, in press). How Ready are Postsecondary
Institutions for Students who are d/Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing? Educational Policy Analysis Archives
Hammer, Mitchell. Developing Intercultural Competence. http://mdbgroup.com/interculturaldevelopment.html
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