In 1993, a survey of around 2,500 D/deaf and hard of hearing students in four year degree programs (not counting Deaf-only schools) found that nearly two-thirds cite tutoring as a special service they used to support their coursework (Lang et al). What this means is that D/deaf college students are even more likely to rely on tutoring as a resource than hearing students!
When these same students were asked why they sought tutoring, they cited a variety of reasons. Some of them had similar reasons to hearing students–struggling with study skills, low grades in a class, missing lectures, etc. But some cited reasons related to deafness, like difficulty understanding lectures (with or without support services like translators) and limited reading and writing skills.
If you work in a college writing center, it’s likely at some point that you’ll work with a D/deaf or hard of hearing student. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to get rid of some common assumptions about D/deaf students and think about what you can do to become a better resource.
Common (false!) assumptions:
- All D/deaf students will have translators or notetakers/aids
- All D/deaf students will have hearing aids/cochlear implants
- All D/deaf people can read lips
- “Deaf and D/dumb”
- D/deaf and hard of hearing students are lazy and need to be pushed
American Sign Language
A lot of hearing people don’t know this, but ASL and English are completely separate languages, with their own conventions, structure, and culture. ASL isn’t even derived from English, so there’s no one-to-one translation from each sign to an English word. ASL doesn’t have a written form–so most signers grow up signing ASL and writing English–Deaf students are EAL learners!
Here are some differences between ASL and English that might impact the way native signers write:
- ASL doesn’t change verbs to reflect tenses (like walked/walk/walking). Instead, the time is simply signed at the beginning of the sentence. But the rest is signed exactly the same–whether it’s past, present, or future tense.
- ASL doesn’t use pronouns. Most stories center around people who are present, so they can just be pointed to. If not, a signer will establish a person by naming them and then spatially placing them somewhere (like a specific spot to the signer’s right so they can point to it when referring to the person.
- ASL doesn’t use any articles. Little words like a, an, and, the, and of aren’t necessary to the visual structure of a sentence, so they simply don’t exist in the language.
While these differences may seem odd to people who don’t sign, native ASL users have known them all their lives. So when shifting between ASL and English, they might be reflected in the way they write (Weaver).
So what can we do?
Each D/deaf and hard of hearing student is coming from a different background and set of experiences with ASL and English. There’s no one way to help a D/deaf student, so the most important thing is to meet them on their own terms as individuals just like we would with any student. That said, there are a couple of tips that may be helpful!
- When working with a D/deaf student who has an interpreter, address the student directly, not the interpreter. That’s considered rude in Deaf culture.
- Try using visual and kinesthetic techniques (instead of solely reading the paper out loud!). This could mean pulling out a whiteboard, pointing to the text to follow along while you read together, cutting and pasting sentences or words, and anything else you can come up with.
- Above all else, implement clear and direct communication. Frankness is super valued in Deaf culture, and students are aware of their own needs. If you aren’t sure how to do seating arrangements with an interpreter and student, just ask the student what works best (Babcock).
The Writing Center should be a warm and accessible place to everyone, so the best thing we can do is stay informed and respectful of everyone’s culture and needs!