Deaf (Higher) Education

Walking through the Stephen F. Austin campus, students can see the tall trees that provide them shade, smell the familiar scent of pine cones, taste a variety of food that is always offered outside the Student Center, touch the flowers that bloom outside of the Ferguson building, and hear the rushing water flowing from the Surfin’ Steve fountain. The latter, however, is an exception for the deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Nearly 500,000 students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States are considered deaf or hard-of-hearing. This number has steadily increased over the past few decades. Sign language was once suppressed for many years. Anyone signing was made to feel ashamed and inferior and often punished at school if caught. In the late 19th century, signing was banned from schools.

For a look at the change of improvements in Deaf Culture history, click the image above.

Currently, many deaf students enrolled in college are pursuing degrees in a range of fields. From health to education and social work to biology, these students are determined to achieve their goals. Still, in the United States, only one out of every four deaf and hard-of-hearing students graduates.

Eyes That Hear

Margaret Teague, a freshman deaf education major at SFA, has been deaf herself her entire life. Teague has not let anything stop her, though. “I like to just hang out with my friends and I love to swim. I'm involved with Crosspoint [at Grace Bible Church] and I'm a member of the ASL club on campus, Talking Hands.”

Social and personal factors play a critical role in the success of deaf students, as well as in subsequent success in the workforce, as reported by the Journal of Deaf Students and Deaf Education.

For both hearing and deaf students alike, getting involved in campus activities and organizations contributes greatly to a student’s overall success. Multiple studies have shown that building lasting friendships increases the likelihood of a student finishing their degree. This factor is one of the leading reasons as to why 75% of deaf college students don’t graduate.

Teague falls into the 25% that knows she will graduate. She has created many friendships in her time in college and has noticed that she has changed in her short time here. “Since I started college, I have become more confident and outgoing. I'm usually a shy person but I have made a lot of friends. I joined the Delta Zeta sorority because my mom was in one and she always told me stories of all the fun she had so I wanted to be a part of that too.”

Over spring break, Teague traveled with her church to San Francisco, including multiple deaf education majors, for a mission trip in the inner city.

“Going on the mission trip to San Francisco, I was really nervous because I don't like talking to people. It just has always made me nervous,” Teague said, “but it really pushed me out of my shell and I had a lot of fun. I got to work in a school there and used my skills to teach the students a song in sign language. I think they really enjoyed it and I got to feel like what it would be like to be an actual teacher.”

Helping Hands

In the United States, a report shows that from the sampled institutions that provided support services, “75% provided note takes, 67% provided sign language interpreters, and 65% stated that tutors assisted students with ongoing coursework.”

For senior Madelyn Smith, becoming an interpreter has helped her just as much as it helps people like Teague, whom she interprets for. “Before I started interpreting, I didn’t know any religious signs, science terms, or math terms,” Smith said, “so I had to learn them from the people I interpret for. Now I am able to confidently interpret for those classes.”

Smith wants to either continue interpreting or she would like to teach American Sign Language for high school students. She has spent a lot of time increasing her skills as an interpreter.

“First I had to build my confidence,” Smith said, “and the hardest part is that your head and your body are the same. Both need to be strong and confident. I need to always be thinking, and my hands after interpreting for a long time. Still, it’s fun work even though it’s challenging. It is harder than what people think.” She personally enjoys interpreting because she becomes closer friends with the various people she interprets for.

Another deaf education major at SFA, junior Paige Hutto, has grown in her knowledge about deaf children in general. “I have learned a lot about deaf children and their needs in the classroom,” Hutto said, “like how that learn and need picture-ized lesson plans. Lectures are not normal for them.”

The university’s Disability Services works with both the students that require service as well as the volunteers to ensure that everyone is accommodated well. For the deaf and hard-of-hearing students specifically, note takers and interpreters are provided. Disability Services also works with administration to arrange leniency on attendance for health issues or doctor visits.

However, there is a large percentage of universities that do not have any aid available to their deaf students. One study showed that of the overall sample of 2,350 institutions with enrollments of deaf and/or hard-of-hearing students, “18% were unable to provide some requested services” and “fourteen percent were unable to provide sign language interpreters requested by students."

Kyle Shachmut, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts, said, “I think we’ve absolutely reached that time where colleges can’t make this excuse anymore. The students know that with the right technology and good, high expectations that they can do this. But I think college administrators' thinking and low expectations haven’t caught up with the reality and abilities students now have.”

Yet while Hutto knows her skills have improved, she still hopes that SFA could teach her some more. “I think we need to add a finger spelling class, a number class, and a little bit more work to improve our skills.”

Looking to the Future

Our society has come a long way from how we first perceived the deaf and hard-of-hearing. While many once believed that there was simply no hope for anyone with a disability, the determination of the disabled has proved that theory wrong.

Still, while our culture has slowly accepted and worked alongside the Deaf Culture, there is still improvement needed. Media outlets have gradually increased their use of visual media, but they often leave out closed captioning which is vital for deaf viewers. In recent years, various people have filed many lawsuits in the deaf community who want access to everything that hearing people have.

“People think that they can't communicate with deaf people so they don't even try to talk to us,” Teague said, “and because I'm shy, they think I'm not approachable. But there is always a way to communicate. I normally have an interpreter around, or we can communicate through writing and gestures. There's no reason not to talk.”

As the world learns to walk alongside the deaf community more smoothly, we will finally realize that a disability of any kind does not change a human being; it simply means that have different qualities to contribute to everyone.

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