Evaluating the accessibility of higher education programs for deaf and hard of hearing students in the Arab countries

Abstract

The opportunity to pursue higher education (HE) can greatly affect an individual's success in later life, but students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) face different challenges than their hearing peers when seeking a university degree. In addition, the acquisition of HE is more significant for this population as it can provide these learners with opportunities to develop skills that improve their ability to integrate into the overall hearing society. We investigated HE programs in the context of DHH students in Arab countries through mixed methods research that employed exploratory sequential design. The target Universities were eight of the top 10 Arab region universities, as ranked by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) for 2022. We examined documents and interviewed 12 administrators at the eight institutions. In addition, 34 faculty members at the universities participated in a survey designed to obtain their perceptions regarding existing provisions for DHH students. Our investigation found that some Arab universities have recently launched programs to support DHH students in higher education. However, while Hard-of-Hearing (HoH) students are admitted to most Arab universities in various academic disciplines on an equal basis with their hearing peers, deaf students are only admitted to a few universities, are limited in the majors they are permitted to consider, and their admission is only allowed under strict conditions. From administrators, we found Arab countries have established only moderate requirements for HE programs regarding admitting and accommodating the DHH. Accordingly, we propose a set of mechanisms to improve such programs for DHH students in Arab countries to advance the educational opportunities for this population and establish recommendations on how to improve deaf education overall.