This article focuses on the following UN Sustainable Development Goal:
Deaf Person
adjective
Lacking the power of hearing or having impaired hearing.
Article 24 – Education (UN Convention)
2. a) Persons with disabilities are not excluded from the general education system on the basis of disability (...)
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5% of the world's population lives with disabling hearing loss, this is over 360 million people across the globe (Audicius). The majority of these people live in low and middle income countries where the accessibility and quality of healthcare are lower than in high income countries. Statistics on educational attainment for deaf people reveal that in general, deaf people have lower levels of education than hearing people. In 2015, 83% of deaf adults in the United States had completed high school, compared to 89% of hearing adults, a gap of 6%. Only 18% of deaf adults in the United States had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 33% of hearing adults (National Deaf Center).
Positive data reveals that younger deaf people are increasingly more likely to graduate from high school, which shows evidence that educational achievement may be improving for younger people (National Deaf Center).
“Deaf people can do anything, except hear." - Marlee Martin
However, the question of whether deaf children should be in schools exclusively for deaf students (where they will be integrated with their peers in a close and supportive community), or in regular schools with deaf resource classes (where deaf students will be best prepared for the real world where there is a mix of hearing and non hearing people) is still on the table. Many experts defend that neither is better or that the options are not “one size fits all”. Specialists on this matter say that traditional schools can provide deaf children a good way of socializing, but will not cater to the specific learning needs of deaf children. They propose the possibility of bilingual schools, where sign language is the base learning language. This means students learn another language, and the environment is more inclusive and answers better to the challenges of the deaf students.
Nevertheless, many organizations and governments are working on inclusive education, specialists affirm these efforts need to be combined with a focus on the unique challenges that different groups of children, such as deaf children, face. Deaf children can only begin to learn when they receive access to a language, which is a human and linguistic right. This is achieved through Sign Language (SL) that provides a solid language base, through which deaf children can develop their cognitive and academic education. To learn this language, deaf children need teachers to communicate directly with them. Unfortunately, research shows the majority of deaf children in East Africa and South Asia begin primary school with virtually no language skills at all, and are unable to communicate with their classmates or teachers. We can say that they are physically in class, but they are unable to receive a meaningful education.
It should be noted that for the next generation of deaf children to have better education they, like hearing children, need to: Learn a language at home before they start elementary school, which presents a huge challenge as 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents with no previous experience of deafness and there is a little offer of preschools able to support deaf children. They also need support from a deaf teacher or an educator trained to a high level in deaf education techniques, who can support both the classroom teacher and the deaf students. Teaching hearing peers to communicate with their deaf friends needs to be a priority. Furthermore, teachers must be trained to understand how to support deaf children in developing language skills and learn how to make learning more visual and accessible.
If we are to make a change concerning quality education for deaf children, the decision makers need to recognize the crucial role that families and early years education play. Leveling the playing fields ensures equity among hearing and deaf students.
Remember, change starts with you.
Works Cited
Audicus. 2021. World Wide Hearing Loss: Stats Around the World | Audicus. [online] Available at: <https://www.audicus.com/world-wide-hearing-loss-stats-from-around-the-world/> [Accessed 5 November 2021].
Nationaldeafcenter.org. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/sites/default/files/DeafPeopleandEducational_Attainment_white_paper.pdf> [Accessed 5 November 2021].
Gallaudet University. 2021. Deaf Employment Reports. [online] Available at: <https://www.gallaudet.edu/office-of-international-affairs/demographics/deaf-employment-reports/> [Accessed 5 November 2021].
Globalpartnership.org. 2021. New report shows what works for deaf children’s education. [online] Available at: <https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/new-report-shows-what-works-deaf-childrens-education> [Accessed 5 November 2021].
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