PowerPoint Presentation

SUPpORTING adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing IN Transition TO POST-SCHOOL EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENTA narrated PowerPoint for careers personnel

September 2015Part 4

Rene Punch PhD

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Part 4 - Focus on postsecondary education

In this final part of the presentation, Im talking about postsecondary education and how we can best prepare young people to succeed in their further education. 2Postsecondary education& D/HH students D/HH students have lower completion rate

Some do not disclose & seek accommodations until failing

Even when provided with accommodations, have less access to full academic and social participation

Although more D/HH students are accessing postsecondary education than in the past past, they still have lower rates of completion than students in general. Of course theres a range of reasons why students drop out of university or college. Often an overarching one is a feeling of non-belonging or participation in the full academic and social life of institution, and research shows that often DHH students dont have that feeling of full belonging.

Throughout school theyve had supports and accommodations provided for them, but on moving to postsecondary education they have to take on the responsibility of advocating on their own behalf for these.

But many students, even if they disclose their hearing loss on their enrollment, dont access disability services. They hate asking for accommodations or being seen as different; they may only do this when they are seriously struggling academically. Students may choose not to contact disability services because they dont identify themselves as a person with a disability, or as deaf, or they just may think they dont need any supports. Many dont know what accommodations could help them in learning environments that are very different from school. And we know that, even when provided with accommodations such as interpreters, note-takers, and captioning, students who are D/HH still receive less information from lectures and tutorials than their hearing peers.

Its really important to reduce the risk of dropping out university or college before completion. So a focus on getting in to courses is not enough; these students need more preparation to deal with the challenges theyll face and persist.

3Griffith University Deaf Student Support Program study 257 students identified as DHH on enrolment43% accessed Deaf Students Support ProgramLower rate of withdrawal and deferral among those who used DSSP(Hyde et al., 2009)

As I mentioned earlier, Griffith University in Queensland has had a specific support program for D/HH students for a long time, with staff are experienced in the issues involved. A study of students and graduates from over 20 years showed that only 43% of those whod identified as having a hearing loss on enrollment went on to contact the Deaf Student Support Program and use their services. Among those who did, there was a higher rate of completion than among those who didnt.

4Factors associated with graduation for DHH studentsSocial & interpersonal skills

Preparation in advocating for needs and accommodations

Academic readiness + social & self-advocacy skills + institutional readiness

(Cawthon et al., 2015; Cawthon et al., 2014)

Recently published US research reports that students levels of social skills in high school are strongly associated with their graduation from post-secondary education. Social skills play an important role in how students advocate for their needs, plus theyre involved in a whole range of competencies needed to navigate a new and very different environment, likely to be larger and less structured than school, with different dynamics going on.

Students will be best prepared to succeed if they have the skills and knowledge to obtain needed supports, good communication and social skills, and they make the most of accommodations available, as well as services that are available to all students. As well, the institution has to be willing & able to ensure supports are provided and the learning environment is truly inclusive, and some will do better than others in this area.

5Disability Standards for Education (2005)Rights and requirements cover:

EnrolmentParticipationCurriculum development and deliveryStudent support servicesHarassment and victimisation

TheDisability Standards for Education 2005clarify obligations under the DDA in relation to education and training. The Standards require organisations to take reasonable steps to enable students with disability to participate in education and use facilities and services on the same basis as a student without a disability. This may include making reasonable adjustments to teaching or assessment practices. Institutions are required to ensure access to all general student support services as well as specialised services needed because of disability.

Students seeking accommodations need to provide recent documentation describing the nature of their disability or medical condition and any impact it may have in the educational context.

Having an early appointment with the Disability Liaison Officer, when applying is best; then when accepted into a course, the student and the DLO together will work out reasonable adjustments. Usually theyll then create an impact statement which the student can use to liaise with university staff and access particular services. All this can be daunting for a school-leaver, and so support and preparation in how to do this is really important. 6VET sector in VictoriaDeafConnectED liaises with TAFEs & private collegesProvides DLOs and teachers with support & information including:

Deafness awareness trainingStrategies to assist and enhance learningAn understanding of the literacy needs of deaf peopleResources and tips for success

For students looking at Vocational Education and Training, DeafconnectEd is a great agency to work with. deafConnectED supports the VET sector in Victoria to engage with students who are DHH. They will liaise with DLOs and teachers and provide information on deafness, strategies in teaching deaf learners, and so on. 7Supports in postsecondary educationAuslaninterpreting servicesNotetaker services Speech-to-text servicesAlternative exam arrangementsSpecialised tutoringReasonable adjustments for professional placements, internships and other workplace arrangementsTranscription of audio visual material if not already captionedAccess to assistive listening devices (e.g. FMsystems)

These are examples of the types of supports and accommodations available to students who are D/HH in various postsecondary settings, ranging from Auslan interpreting services to speech-to-text services, real-time captioning, specialised tutoring and so forth.

Melbourne University now uses Live Remote Captioning for 95% of its demand for services from students with profound deafness, with the remaining 5% through Auslan interpreting.Live remote captioning delivers text that apparently is 98% accurate through the internet to the students laptop or iPad in class with a delay of less than 2 seconds. Its very much being taken up by other universities around Australia as well.

8Summary of transition needsVocational guidance specific to deafness-related issues

Liaison between school careers personnel and teachers of the deafHelp to identify foreclosed choices, analyse perception of barriers, modify self-efficacy beliefs

9So, to summarise: All that we know about transition and post-school outcomes suggests that D/HH students need specific transition planning and instruction that includes hearing-related issues. This is going to be best achieved through liaison and collaboration between school careers personnel and the students teacher of the deaf.The skills of the careers counsellor can help students identify any foreclosed choices of occupation, challenge unnecessary compromise, analyse their perception of barriers, and perhaps modify their self-efficacy beliefs.Its so important to reduce the risk of them dropping out of university, TAFE or other training courses before completion, that a focus on getting into a course is not enough. A longer-term benefit comes from the development of the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities that will help them transition to post-school life. And this will involve some preparation to identify and address the types of challenges they may face both in employment and in further education.

Transition needs (cont.)Development of students awareness of accommodations available

Awareness of disability discrimination legislation

Help in accessing technical assistive devices and systems available

Students need to learn about the sorts of accommodations that might help them and the legal obligations of education and training providers and employers to provide them. Technology is constantly advancing and it can be difficult to find information about what is available for specific situations, and important for school-leavers to be able to access information and advice. And to be aware that there are all sorts of technological solutions to problems that in the past seemed insurmountable, for instance, a range of visual and amplified instruments such as stethoscopes for medical professionals. The young adult needs to be proactive, though, to find out about what specifically could help them, and to go about acquiring them.

10Transition needs (cont.)Work experience + follow-up discussion

Self-determination instruction, including self-advocacy, negotiation, assertiveness skills

Discussion around how and when to disclose hearing loss

Work experience, especially paid work, is so valuable for students who are D/HH. Whether its a job or part of the schools work experience program, students need to discuss their experiences with teachers, careers professionals, or similar in order to maximize learning from their experiences, to discuss strategies to deal with any challenges theyd encountered.

All the self-determination skills, especially the communication skills, are needed for D/HH youth to manage the challenges theyll face, and often specific instruction is necessary. This needs to include how and when to disclose ones hearing loss, explain its effects and inform potential employers of ways around any difficulties. Examples and opportunities to practise this are really valuable.

11Transition needs (cont.)Parental involvement

Link with employers, employment services, disability support services in further education

D/HH role models

12Involving parents as much as possible is important, of course. Parents can encourage the student in self-determination and independence at home, and can share knowledge of their networks, local opportunities for work experience, and so on. And links between school transition programs and post-school agencies and DLOs in universities and colleges. And lastly, role models. It can be very powerful for young people to have adult role models who are D/HH. Trying to establish these opportunities, whether through personal connections or through agencies and mentoring programs, is really valuable.Transition to post-schoollifeTransition is a bridge between the security and structure offered by the school and the opportunities and risks of adult life

Careers personnel, teachers of the deaf, and families need to work together to ensure best transition for students who are D/HH

And finally, transition can be seen as the bridge between the security and structure offered by the school and the opportunities and risks of adult life.

For school-leavers who are D/HH, theyre suddenly losing all the supports and accommodations that were put in place for them throughout their schooling. They need to be able to understand and articulate their needs, and to have the confidence and skills to advocate for themselves.

its crucial that careers personnel, teachers of the deaf, and families work together to bring this about, and to ensure the best transition process and post-school outcomes for these young people. This is the end of this narrated PowerPoint. The slides following contain the details of the studies to which Ive referred.

13ReferencesCawthon, S. W., Caemmerer, J. M., Dickson, D. M., Ocuto, O. L., Ge, J., & Bond, M. P. (2015). Social skills as a predictor of postsecondary outcomes for individuals who are deaf. Applied Developmental Science, 19(1), 19-30.

Cawthon, S. W., Schoffstalll, S. J., & Garberoglio, C. (2014). How ready are postsecondary institutions for students who are d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 22(13), 1-22.

Hyde, M., Punch, R., Power, D., Hartley, J., Neale, J., & Brennan, L. (2009). The experiences of deaf and hard of hearing students at a Queensland university:1985-2005. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(1), 85-98

Jahncke, H., & Halin, N. (2012). Performance, fatigue and stress in open-plan offices: The effects of noise and restoration on hearing impaired and normal hearing individuals. Noise and Health, 14(60), 260-272.

14References (cont.)Kohler, P. D. (1996). Taxonomy for Transition Programming. Champaign: University of Illinois.

Luft, P. (2012). A national survey of transition services for deaf and hard of hearing students. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals.

Luft, P., & Huff, K. (2011). How prepared are transition-age deaf and hard of hearing students for adult living? Results of the Transition Competence Battery. American Annals of the Deaf, 155(5), 569-579.

Mackersie, C. L., MacPhee, I. X., & Heldt, E. W. (2015). Effects of hearing loss on heart rate variability and skin conductance measured during sentence recognition in noise. Ear and Hearing, 36(1), 145-154. Punch, R., & Hyde, M. (2005). The social participation and career decision-making of hard-of-hearing adolescents in regular classes. Deafness and Education International, 7(3), 122-138.

15References (cont.)Punch, R., Creed, P. A., & Hyde, M. (2006). Career barriers perceived by hard of hearing adolescents: A mixed methods analysis. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 11, 224-237.

Punch, R., & Hyde, M. (2010). Children with cochlear implants in Australia: Educational settings, supports, and outcomes. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 15(4), 405-421.

Punch, R., & Hyde, M. (2011). Social participation of children and adolescents with cochlear implants: A qualitative analysis of parent, teacher, and child interviews. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 16(4), 474-493.

Punch, R., Hyde, M. B., & Power, D. J. (2007). Career and workplace experiences of Australian university graduates who are deaf or hard of hearing. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 12, 504-517.

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