Access to Technical Education Through Sign Language Interpreting

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

More than 23 million people in the United States have chronic, significant hearing losses. More than 4.5 million of those individuals acquired their hearing losses prior to 18 years of age. Recent evidence indicates that educational challenges associated with are largely due to the lack of effective communication between deaf students and their hearing parents and teachers. Previous studies have described the need for sign language interpreters in educational settings and the nature of the interpreting process, but little is known about the factors actually influencing the comprehension of interpreted material by deaf and hard-of-hearing learners. Such investigations are essential if deaf individuals, or others with communication challenges, are to have full access to available educational programs. The proposed research will (1) examine factors thought to influence comprehension of educational interpreting, (2) identify characteristics of students, teaching situations, and interpreters that can foster comprehension of material in postsecondary technical education, and (3) contribute to very limited knowledge about the education via sign language interpretation in technology and science-related classrooms. The project will take advantage of the unique setting of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, which focuses on science, mathematics, and technical education. Participants will be drawn from more than 1300 deaf and hard-of-hearing students and more than 120 sign language interpreters. Eight experiments will examine the impact of learners' language fluencies and content knowledge, interpreter skills and preparation, interpreter knowledge of technical content, interpreter-learner familiarity, and the effects of visual presentation formats on learning (e.g., distance learning). Of particular interest will be the impact of matching communication skills/preferences and background knowledge of students and interpreters in technical education classrooms, where complex material taxes the impoverished background reading and educational levels typical of most deaf students. Such settings also are challenging for sign language interpreters, relatively few of whom have educational backgrounds in science and technology. Both the amount learned and students' satisfaction/comfort with classroom experiences will be considered in terms of the above factors. The findings will directly facilitate the access of deaf learners to educational programs, improve our understanding of ways to effectively communication technical material to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, and describe the impact of new visual technologies on access to educational programming by individuals with significant hearing loss. More generally, the research will provide valuable new information for optimizing technical education for students with language or communication challenges and help to expand the pool of individuals with training in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.