National University of Singapore (NUS) / Bachelor of Arts (Hons.)
“I ‘Hear’ You!”: A Learning Toolkit for Educators in Enhancing the Educational Experience of Hearing-Impaired Students in University
Creating an inclusive society for individuals with disabilities has been, and still is, an important goal for Singapore, with social inclusion policy initiatives and developments in education being pushed forward year after year. At present, there is a lack of academic work that outlines the current predicament of the landscape of inclusive education for students with disabilities in their pursuit of tertiary education – in particular, d/Deaf/hard-of-hearing (DH) students – and a lack of understanding by the educators of DH students. This paper acts as a bridge to address these gaps. Baseline data on local DH students and educators in a tertiary institute – the National University of Singapore (NUS) – were obtained via surveys, focus group discussions, and interviews. From the data gathered, the paper sheds light on three key gaps that were identified – (1) educators lack awareness of the needs of DH students, (2) educators lack knowledge on available resources for DH students, and (3) educators lack understanding for DH students. These findings are buttressed by findings of further research which revealed that DH students do not feel adequately supported in their education. Literature too highlights that educators are insufficiently informed and trained in this area, or that the resources available are inaccessible. After intensive research and collaboration with the Disability Support Office (DSO), our team has developed I “Hear” You, a learning toolkit for educators in enhancing the academic experience for DH students in NUS. Ultimately, this toolkit is a step towards inclusive education in NUS.