The impact of deafness in education

This workshop session took place at the ITET 2024 Annual PGCE Conference Inclusion & Inspiration - Education for Social Justice. 12 January 2024. University of Manchester. Ben highlighted how Deaf/Hearing Impaired children face many challenges in education. The session introduced participants to the barriers deaf children face in education, and how to support them. Ben discussed the meaning of 'deaf culture' and 'deaf identity' and how it shapes their thinking. He considered the disadvantages of deaf children, and how to use the teaching strategies to overcome these disadvantages and maximise the learning outcomes. There are various types and levels of deafness. We, as teachers, will therefore need to respond and adapt to best suit their needs. Additional support is a key element of how they learn; whether it is in the form of specialist support and/or equipment. Ben discussed what support is available in schools and how to best use the support for their learning.