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Module 5: Accommodations for Communication Difficulties

Communicating with Students and Faculty (Lecturing, One-on-One, Phone)

In the classroom or lab, educators must be able to talk about the material, give instructions, and engage students in discussion. Outside of the classroom, educators must be able to communicate to students and colleagues both face-to-face and from a distance (e.g., email, phone).

As would be expected, for a person with a communication impairment, these tasks that will pose the greatest challenges. Accommodation options may include:

General

Maintain a clear line of sight around the classroom.
A clear line of sight between the teacher, students, and areas that must be monitored will facilitate the use of visual cues.

Hard of Hearing

Reduce background noise in the environment.
Hold meetings in spaces with less background noise. Consider using acoustic panels to further reduce background noise.

Use a hearing aid for communication with people nearby or over a telephone.
A loop system can be used to couple a hearing aid with the telephone receiver.

Use an assistive listening device (ALD) to hear communication in a larger room.
ALDs consist of a microphone and battery-powered transmitter worn by the each speaker, and a receiver and earphones / hearing aid connection worn by the person who is hard of hearing. Some devices are designed for smaller groups; others might be more appropriate for meetings or professional training held in auditoriums.

Use a louder ring tone on the telephone.

Use a system to visually indicate telephone rings.
For example, it is possible to set up a flashing light to indicate a telephone ring.

Amplify the speaker’s voice from a telephone.
Some telephones come with a volume setting.

More Significant Hearing Loss or Deaf

Use lip reading to supplement hearing.
Students and colleagues will need to face the teacher while speaking. Note that lip reading helps as a supplement, but it accuracy rates are low.

Use a sign language interpreter.
Note that there are several forms of sign language so it is important to know which version (if any) is used by the employee.

Use text-based communication.
Use email or instant messaging or a shared notepad to communicate. Among the deaf community, text pagers often take the place of cell phones. Share important discussion details in text to avoid misunderstandings. In large training settings, real-time captioning might be provided.

Use a TTY (teletype) / relay system for telephone communications.
A TTY allows two people to type messages back and forth over a phone line. A relay operator provided by the phone company, will sometimes be used to relay conversations between a TTY user and another party, converting the communications between speech and text.

Use a voice carry over (VCO) phone.
VCO phones are used when a teacher can speak but can not hear well. A relay call is placed and the teacher speaks directly to the other person on the line; that person speaks back to the relay operator, who types a response.
Visit assistivetech.net entries for VCO phones.

Speech Impairment

Use a fluency device to reduce stuttering.
Some people find that they are less likely to stutter if they speak in unison (or have the illusion that they are through playback of their own voice).

Use technology to amplify quiet voices.
Personal voice amplifiers, microphones, or voice amplified telephones may be used.

Use text-based communication.
Use email or a text pager to communicate. Share important discussion details in text to avoid misunderstandings.

Use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
Speech generating devices, speech output software, keyboards or notebooks might be used as a alternative communication method.
Visit atwiki article on augmentative and alternative communication.

Use a TTY (teletype) / relay system for telephone communications.
A TTY allows two people to type messages back and forth over a phone line. A relay operator provided by the phone company, will sometimes be used to relay conversations between a TTY user and another party, converting the communications between speech and text.

Use a hearing carry over (HCO) phone.
HCO phones are used when a teacher can hear but can not speak well. A relay call is placed and the teacher hears the other person on the line; he or she then types responses to the relay operator, who reads them to the other party.
Visit assistivetech.net entries for HCO phones.

Use a speech to speech (STS) relay / communication assistant for telephone communications.
STS is a form of relay service for people who have difficulty being understood on the phone. A communications assistant, trained to be familiar with different speech patterns and language recognition skill, repeats the desired message to the other party on the line. STS relay services are provided in each state - http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/sts.html