Running head: Decreasing the Educational Disparity 1

Decreasing the Educational Disparity Between Deaf and Hearing Students

Jennah Jacobs

Manhattan College
Decreasing the Educational Disparity 2

Abstract

Many deaf students are not performing at the same level as their hearing peers due to lack of

qualified teachers. Teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing are less likely to be

certified in the subject are that they are teaching than teachers of hearing students. In addition,

deaf students struggle with English since it is their second language. Teachers see this molehill

as a mountain that is impossible to overcome. This paper looks at how teachers can help their

deaf and hard of hearing students overcome this obstacle and achieve the same level in

mathematics as their hearing peers.

Keywords; Deaf Education, Mathematics, Literacy

Decreasing the Educational Disparity 3

In modern special education, we tend to focus more on learning, emotional, and mental

hindrances than we do on physical. This is because schools are built to be more accessible for

students with physical handicaps. In addition, for students who are deaf or blind, we dedicate

special schools and classrooms instead of integrating them into mainstream public school

classrooms. Many math teachers in both deaf schools and special education classes do not

actually have a degree in mathematics (Pagliaro & Lang, 2007). In fact, only 15 percent of self-

contained math teachers and 40 percent of specialized school math teachers have a degree in

math or math education. This is most likely due to the shortage of math teachers in mainstreamed

classrooms and the shortage of teachers who are certified in deaf education.

Students who are deaf often do not understand English as well as a hearing student. This

means that not only do they struggle in speech and listening but also reading. Since textbooks

and test are written in English, students who are deaf or hard of hearing often do poorly. In

addition, subject specific vocabulary also provides difficulties especially if they do not have an

accompanying sign. Students are expected to learn the meaning of the word that is presented in a

language that is not their native one. Teachers should implement additional strategies in order to

help students who are deaf or hard of hearing succeed in school and in life. A report done by the

New Mexico School for the Deaf shows that teachers should implement the same strategies for

students who are hard of hearing as they do for students who are English language learners

(Nover, Andrews, & Everhart, 2001).

Mathematics is a difficult subject for hearing students. The language use does not have

the same meaning as it would outside of math. In addition, math uses words that are very specific

to the content. As the level of math increase, so does the complexity of the vocabulary. Strategies

that teachers should implement to help students who are deaf or hard of hearing understand the
Decreasing the Educational Disparity 4

vocabulary include using signing in explaining the term, utilizing imagery of what the term is or

what it does, and by giving concrete examples (Pagliaro & Lang, 2007). A study by Pagliaro and

Lang show that “terms represented by single sign are recalled by deaf students significantly

better than … terms requiring compound signs or fingerspelling” (2007). The same study found

that terms with concrete examples that make the term easily visualizable improved students’

remembrance.

Word problems are another difficulty for students whose first language is not English. In

addition to the subject specific vocabulary, students have to discern what information is vital to

the problem and what is just detail. Teachers of deaf students tend to spend less time on

problems that require analysis and reasoning than teachers of hearing students (Kelly, Lang, &

Pagliaro, 2003). “Teachers perceive (these) problems as to difficult for deaf students’ language

abilities and cognitive functioning” (Kelly, Lang, & Pagliaro, 2003). While students may

struggle with the language of the problem due to the language gap, their ability to think

cognitively is not impaired by their disability. It is up to the teacher to help the students by

teaching them to divide the problem into sub problems and make a plan to solve the problem. In

addition, teachers should help students create visuals that aid in solving the problem. Providing

time for discussion among the students about how they solved the problem and the answer that

they got will also help improve their analysis and reasoning skills.

Due to the difficulty in reading comprehension, teachers of deaf students should take

extra time to incorporate literacy strategies into their lessons. The use of strategies such as close

reading help the students take time to fully understand what the problem is asking. In teaching

vocabulary, teachers should explain the roots of the word (Easterbrooks & Stephenson, 2006).

An example is the explanation of the word triangle. Tri means three and angle is the place where
Decreasing the Educational Disparity 5

the lines connect, therefore a triangle is a shape with three angles. Teachers should also

implement active learning experiences since it challenges students to analyze and synthesize

information. Additionally, using real world problems help students better grasp the concepts and

the purpose of the lesson.

Schools can help teachers better aid deaf students by providing resources such as

technology and textbooks that are geared towards deaf students. In addition, by encouraging

teachers to receive certifications in the subject area that they are teaching, schools can help

improve the education of students who are deaf or hearing impaired. Distracts can help by

encouraging teachers to become certified in ASL education especially teachers in field such as

math or science. Encouraging teachers to receive ASL certification will help provide more

teachers who can teach deaf students that are also certified in their subject area.

As a society, we assume that all students who are disabled can not function at the same

level as their able body classmates. In the case of deaf students in math, this is simply not the

case. Deaf students who are in mainstream classrooms are held to the same standard of learning

as their hearing peers, and because of this they are often on par with their hearing classmates

(Kelly, Lang, & Pagliaro, 2003). This shows that once a deaf student overcomes the language

barrier, they are able to work at the same level as their hearing peers. Therefore, teachers at

schools for deaf and hard of hearing students and specialized classes for these students should

focus on improving the students’ literacy and push the students to work at the same level as their

hearing peers. By using literacy practice like the ones used for English language learners,

teachers can help their students better understand the material, and like English language learners,

their students can have the ability to succeed in a mainstream classroom.

Decreasing the Educational Disparity 6

Works Cited

Easterbrooks, S. R., & Stephenson, B. (2006). AN Examination of Twenty Literacy, Science, and

Mathematics Practices Used to Educate Students Who Are Deaf or or Hard of Hearing.

American Annals of the Deaf , 385-397.

Kelly, R. R., Lang, H. G., & Pagliaro, C. M. (2003). Mathematics Word Problem Solving for

Deaf Students: A Survey of Practices in Grades 6-12. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf

Education .

Nover, S. M., Andrews, J. F., & Everhart, V. S. (2001). Critical Pedagogy In Deaf Education:

Teachers' Reflections On Implementing ASL/English Bilingual Methodology And

Language Assessment For Deaf Learners. United Star Distance Learning Consortium.

Santa Fe: New Mexico School for the Deaf.

Pagliaro, C., & Lang, H. (2007). Factors Predicting Recall of Mathematics Terms by Deaf

Students: Implications for Teaching. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education .