Exploring DHH university students’ narratives on Esharani, the national sign language of the Iranian Deaf community: What's the story?

Different studies have shown that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students face many difficulties in learning applied disciplines in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. The development of videos or avatars to aid in the teaching of programming for positively affects DHH students. The use of sign language increases the understanding of DHH, therefore, it will be utilized in the proposed virtual and Augmented reality environment which will hopefully improve students’ performance in learning about computer programming as well as enhance their engagement and facilitate the accessibility of learning for learners suffering from deafness in Saudi Arabia. This thesis aims to help deaf and hearing-impaired students in Saudi Arabia to tackle applied subjects like computer programming and equip them for careers in the technological field. Computer programming is an integral component in this field that can greatly assist in developing technological solutions. The study reveals important considerations in the creation of a virtual learning environment for DHH students to learn computer programming and showed that DHH students performed well, understood the topics, and could write a small program. The research methodology shows how to create an avatar for teaching computer programming using Arabic sign language. This gives DHH students opportunities to join the scientific world as they were previously unable to do so. Three expert signers evaluated the proposed Arabic Sign Language (ArSL) dictionary with 450 technological terms and added 114 new signs to the signer dictionary. Therefore, to make an overall evaluation, Augmented Reality (AR) as a knowledge technology will be applied through the 6 unit of the proposed “Java programming” course. Accordingly, 6 designed flashcards will be used, one flashcard for each course unit to retrieve summarized knowledge discovery of this unit. Also, many tools will be used to support augmented reality such as Vuforia and Unity library.

Pragmatic language use in general and the use of evaluation devices (EDs) are very important components in everyday communication and expressing thoughts and feelings in narrative production. However, very little is known about the use of evaluative devices in the narratives of Arabic-speaking adolescents, especially those who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). The present study investigated the use of EDs in personal oral narratives elicited from 124 hearing and DHH Arabic-speaking adolescents. Each participant was asked to tell a personal story about a time he or she was in a dangerous situation. Narratives were transcribed and coded for nine different types of evaluation. A three-way interaction of group (hearing/DHH) by gender (Female/Male) by evaluation type emerged such that female hearing adolescents' narratives contained significantly more frames of mind than the narratives of DHH females and hearing males and more hedges than DHH females. In addition, hearing males' narratives contained more hedges than those of DHH males and more negative comments than the narratives of both hearing females and DHH males. The present research identifies factors that facilitate narrative abilities by DHH. Discussion centres on explanations for group and gender differences in terms of exposure and language socialization. What is already known on this subject Although narratives have been researched extensively in comparisons of hearing and deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, only a few studies have examined pragmatic language use in general and evaluation devices in particular. These studies show that the narratives of DHH children and adolescents contain fewer figurative expressions, frames of mind and hedges and that children who are DHH have difficulty comprehending and producing metaphors. Very little is known about the use of evaluative devices in the narratives of Arabic-speaking adolescents, especially those who are DHH. What this study adds The present study found that hearing participants produced significantly more evaluation devices (Eds) than their DHH peers, and female participants produced significantly more EDs than their male peers. Moreover, hearing females' narratives contained more frames of mind and more hedges than did the narratives of DHH females; also, hearing females' narratives contained more frames of mind than those of hearing males. In addition, hearing males' narratives contained more hedges than those of DHH males. Finally, hearing males' narratives had more negative comments than both the narratives of hearing females and those of DHH males. Clinical implications The one evaluation device produced in large numbers (hedges) by adolescents who are DHH was expressed in only one of two ways. One important clinical implication of this finding is that pragmatic language in general and use of EDs in particular should be part of any speech and language evaluation. Another takeaway is that intervention should attempt to provide rich exposure to social communicative language, providing many ways to convey each function, enabling adolescents to communicate in different contexts.

ObjectiveThe purpose of the study was to describe the collaborative process of a deaf-hearing research team developing diabetes education videos in American Sign Language (ASL) for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) populations.MethodsDiabetes education videos were guided by a DHH community advisory board (CAB) who were living with diabetes (N = 10), DHH video production team (N = 9), DHH research team members (N = 3), hearing clinical experts and research team members (N = 3), and a hearing designer (N = 1). Over 10 meetings, the CAB provided ongoing feedback to enhance video content and design. Videos were then developed using a rigorous 5-step process that involved script development, design of visual supports, script translation into ASL by native signers, video recording, and video editing. Interviews with individual CAB members were obtained to understand future video needs.ResultsUsing a design thinking and collaborative approach between deaf-hearing team members, 20 diabetes education videos were designed to prioritize ASL and DHH culture while still being inclusive for hearing family members who may not know ASL. The videos met the WebAIM guidelines for accessibility. CAB members rated the videos positively.ConclusionsThe diabetes education videos in ASL fill an existing void in diabetes education for DHH populations and are still being evaluated in the Deaf Diabetes Can Together intervention and will be placed on a future diabetes education website in ASL. This article highlights key details of developing diabetes education videos using a deaf-hearing team that future studies could learn from.

We describe the literacy issues facing young deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners in Taiwan who are learning both a logographic and an alphabetic script. We describe the contextual factors that surround their reading and writing processes such as island demographics, reading achievement levels, and background language learning variables including deaf culture. We then describe and provide graphic illustrations and examples of the linguistic features of the written languages that DHH children are learning (Chinese and English) as well as the sign codes (Signed Chinese, Zhuyin finger alphabet, character signs, palm writing, and air writing) and the Zhuyin Fuhao written visual symbols. We suggest that contextual, cultural and linguistic factors need to be considered in the understanding of how DHH children learn to read and write as well as how they use their sign language and sign codes to build Chinese and English literacy skills.

There is a growing interest in the quality of life and cognitive emotion regulation of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents. Hence, the present study examined the effects of emotional intelligence training on quality of life and cognitive emotion regulation of DHH adolescents. The participants were 36 female DHH adolescents aged 16–20 years who were selected by a cluster random sampling method. Initially, two schools were randomly selected from DHH schools in Tehran, Iran. Subjects were selected from these schools and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 18) and control (n = 18) groups. The experimental group participated in emotional intelligence training programme for 12 sessions. The intervention was implemented for 45 min a day over six weeks. All participants completed the Youth Quality of Life Instrument–Deaf and Hard of Hearing Module (YQOL–DHH) and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-short). Data were analysed by Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). The results indicated that emotional intelligence intervention significantly influenced the quality of life and cognitive emotion regulation in DHH adolescents. The findings of this research suggest that emotional intelligence training might result in effective and positive outcomes and might play a critical role in the quality of life and emotions regulation of DHH adolescents.

The demand for employment in specific computing fields is high, during the last years. However, the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) persons are significantly underrepresented. In this paper, we study methods for increasing the participation of DHH students in computing fields, in order to provide them equal opportunities with normal students. We focus on the following two key research questions: What is an appropriate inclusive curriculum in Higher Education for supporting DHH students studying information technology? What kind of assistive technology resources (e.g., vocabularies in Sign Language) should be embedded in the curriculum, and how DHH students can be enabled to access and use such resources? A systematic review of the literature is conducted, and the design of an introductory academic course on information technology literacy for DHH students is examined.

IntroductionDespite the significant number of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people living in the U.S., oral health research on DHH people who use American Sign Language (ASL) is virtually nonexistent. This study aims to investigate dental needs among mid-to-older DHH women and identify social determinants of health that may place them at higher risk for unmet dental health needs as the primary outcome.MethodsThis cross-sectional study uses data drawn from Communication Health domain in the PROMIS-DHH Profile and oral health data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Both measures were administered in ASL and English between November 2019 and March 2020. Univariate and bivariate analysis included only complete data, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted on multiply imputed data.ResultsOut of 197 DHH women (41 to 71+ years old) who answered the dental visit question, 48 had unmet dental needs and 149 had met dental needs. Adjusting for sociodemographic variables, disparity in dental needs was observed across education [OR (95% CI): 0.45(0.15, 1.370)] and communication health [0.95 (0.90, 1.01)].DiscussionOur study is the first to describe DHH mid-to-older women's access to oral health care. DHH women who do not have a college degree may be impacted. Further research is needed to elucidate the particular risk factors, including cultural, to which DHH individuals from marginalized racial groups are susceptible to unmet oral health needs.ConclusionsEvidence shows that DHH ASL users who have less years of education or are single experience barriers in accessing dental care.

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals who use signed language and those who use spoken language face different challenges and stressors. Accordingly, the profile of their mental problems may also differ. However, studies of mental disorders in this population have seldom differentiated between linguistic groups. Our study compares demographics, mental disorders, and levels of distress and functioning in 40 patients using Norwegian Sign Language (NSL) and 36 patients using spoken language. Assessment instruments were translated into NSL. More signers were deaf than hard of hearing, did not share a common language with their childhood caregivers, and had attended schools for DHH children. More Norwegian-speaking than signing patients reported medical comorbidity, whereas the distribution of mental disorders, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and daily functioning did not differ significantly. Somatic complaints and greater perceived social isolation indicate higher stress levels in DHH patients using spoken language than in those using sign language. Therefore, preventive interventions are necessary, as well as larger epidemiological and clinical studies concerning the mental health of all language groups within the DHH population.

With approximately 40-50% of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals also having a disability, complex communication needs are particularly prevalent in this population. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems can address these complex communication needs, support language acquisition, and facilitate communicative engagement. This article examines (a) the role of AAC in supporting DHH individuals with disabilities (DHH+), (b) the integration of AAC with sign language, and (c) the relevant considerations when assigning and implementing AAC for this group. The literature reviewed within this article specifically highlighted that effective implementation of AAC for DHH+ individuals who have complex communication needs may be improved by (a) increased diagnostic accuracy, (b) access to a first language, and (c) the development of standardized methods for AAC selection and implementation tailored to the individual.

Since the late nineties, several assessments to track and assess sign language acquisition in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children have been developed and standardised for some sign languages (Herman, Rowley, Mason, & Morgan, 2014; Rosenburg, Lieberman, Caselli, & Hoffmeister, 2020). These assessments have provided important insights into how DHH children acquire sign language and how acquisition can be impacted by developmental or acquired disorders (Mason et al., 2010; Quinto-Pozos, Forber-Pratt, & Singleton, 2011). Moreover, the development of sign language assessments has enabled research studies to show associations between language, cognitive skills and literacy (Botting et al., 2017). The availability of sign language assessments has confirmed that DHH children from DHH, signing families achieve similar milestones in sign language as their hearing counterparts in spoken language. Yet the measures developed to date are insufficient for tracking bimodal bilingual development in DHH children, particularly as children progress through the later school years. This article reviews hitherto mentioned and new issues in test development and standardization related to the status of sign language research, the size and nature of the population of DHH signers, and tester issues with a specific focus on assessments used by practitioners rather than those designed for research purposes. References are made to the reasons why DHH children are at risk for language delay. A selection of different types of sign language test is presented. In the UK and elsewhere, many of the tests developed to date have focused on the earlier stages of language development. We therefore include a description of a UK project that is adapting an assessment for adolescent signers.

When considering deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) population, research recognizes that fatigue due to communication challenges and multi-focal attention allocation is a significant concern. Given the putative heightened demands of distance learning on deaf and hard of hearing students, we investigate how an online environment might differently affect deaf and hard of hearing participants, compared to hearing participants, Portuguese Sign Language (PSL) users and non-users. Our findings show that the deaf and hard of hearing group present higher values in the post-task fatigue rates with significant differences from the hearing group (non-PSL users). Furthermore, our results revealed an association between post-task fatigue rates and lower performance scores for the deaf and hard of hearing group, and the gap is significantly bigger when compared with the hearing group (non-PSL users). We also found evidence for high levels of post-task fatigue and lower performance scores in the hearing group PSL users. These novel data contribute to the discussion concerning of the pros and cons of digital migration and help redesign more accessible and equitable methodologies and approaches, especially in the DHH educational field, ultimately supporting policymakers in redefining optimal learning strategies.

Care partners play an important role in diabetes management of people with diabetes. Although deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adults experience diabetes at a higher rate than their hearing counterparts, there is a lack of information regarding the experience of care partners assisting those in the DHH community. There is a need to identify intentional support for this population. The purpose of this study was to explore how care partners of DHH people with diabetes provide helpful and unhelpful support, the care partner experience of providing support, and care partners' perceived diabetes self-management education, support needs, and recommendations. We engaged a community advisory board of care partners to DHH people with diabetes to explore how care partners provide support, their individual experiences in providing support, and their suggestions for diabetes self-management education. We used thematic analysis to analyze individual and collective responses. Three emergent themes were identified suggesting that care partners give support in a variety of ways, are often overwhelmed in meeting the demanding and ongoing needs of DHH people with diabetes, and have a multitude of suggestions for implementing a future diabetes care partner education program. We also identified some DHH population-specific challenges to diabetes care, including communication barriers with health care providers, inability to use hearing cues if a person with diabetes experiences a fall, and limited access to diabetes care education in sign language. These findings highlight a need to provide more support for care partners of DHH people with diabetes and to address the needs of DHH populations to ensure more equitable diabetes care. Further research is needed to adequately inform successful interventions for DHH people with diabetes and their care partners.

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children are at particular risk of delays in the development of Theory of Mind (ToM) skills compared to hearing peers. One perspective links this to the development of social-cognitive abilities related to language acquisition (spoken language and/or sign language). Both ToM and language emerge from direct and indirect participation in communicative interactions. In this chapter we outline how ToM has several antecedent steps based in early interaction. The development of ToM leads on to many later important achievements during the school years. Research has also shown that intervention programmes can lead to improvements in ToM. In this context we describe the training programme The Mind Readers which aims to improve the development of ToM. The intervention targets ToM skills, emotion understanding, related sign and spoken language skills (on word/sign level, syntax, and conversation) in DHH children and young people.

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the level of social skills of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDH) children, their demographic characteristics and their tendency to violence. The study group consisted of 73 DDH children. The data of the study were collected using the ‘Personal Information Form’, ‘Social Skills Scale’ and ‘Violence Tendency Scale’. The data were analysed using independent groups t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis. The level of social skills was low in 23.3% of the DDH children, medium in 49.3% and high in 27.4%. In addition, 30.2% had a high propensity to violence. The level of social skills and tendency to violence of the DDH children did not differ according to gender, presence of hearing aids, type of hearing aids and educational level of mother and father. Moderate hearing loss, age, use of both sign language and verbal communication methods, having two siblings positively influenced the level of social skills of DDH children. DDH children educated in special education centres were more prone to violence than others. Although there was no significant relationship between the level of social skills of DDH children and their tendency to violence, it is necessary to teach social skills to people with hearing impairment.

Research rarely focuses on how deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students address mathematical ideas. Complexities involved in using sign language (SL) in mathematics classrooms include not just challenges, but opportunities that accompany mathematics learning in this gestural-somatic medium. The authors consider DHH students primarily as learners of mathematics, and their SL use as a special case of language in the mathematics classroom. More specifically, using SL in teaching and learning mathematics is explored within semiotic and embodiment perspectives to gain a better understanding of how using SL affects the development, conceptualization, and representation of mathematical meaning. The theoretical discussion employs examples from the authors' work and research on geometry, arithmetic, and fraction concepts with Deaf German and Austrian learners and experts. The examples inform the context of mathematics teaching and learning more generally by illuminating SL features that distinguish mathematics learning for DHH learners.