It’s the first day of class, and if you have a Deaf/HH student in your class, you may be uncertain of which teaching strategies will be successful. This first day of class is an opportunity to set the tone, and make the deaf or hard-of-hearing students feel welcome and an integral member of the class.
- Provide a detailed written syllabus for the course to share the first day. Include important dates, reading assignments, homework and test details, classroom policies, etc. Having a written syllabus will ensure that the deaf/hh students in particular will have access to this critical information.
- Take the time to clearly define your expectations for acceptable behavior in the classroom, including communication (see the section on Communication) and equal access for all students.
- Introduce yourself to your interpreter and/or captionist, as they can be a valuable resource for issues that may surface.
- If there are issues on the first day of class involving Deaf/HH students, take the time to discuss these issues privately with the students after class with the interpreter.
