The sociopolitics of deaf students' access to higher education

|Date 14.07.2010

faculty of behaviouraland social sciences hogeschool

utrecht

1

The sociopolitics of accessDeaf students in Dutch higher education

Ernst D. Thoutenhoofd, University of Groningen

Beppie van den Bogaerde, Hogeschool Utrecht

Paper presented at Equality Diversity Inclusion (EDI) 2010 Conference

Vienna, Austria 14-16 July 2010

In collaboration with:

Expertisecentrum handicap + studie

Signo Ergo Sum | Jongerencommissie

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Contents

There is reported concern about the participation of disabled students in Dutch higher education. Deaf and hard-of-hearing (hoh) students have themselves pointed to clear concerns, but also noted their willingness to help find solutions.

In response to that impulse a new initiative developed to research and improve the participation of deaf/hoh students in Dutch higher education over time.

This presentation introduces that national initiative.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Background

Dutch FE/HE institutions do not monitor the number of disabled students.

Recent research suggests serious shortcomings in the access provisions of FE/HE institutions.(Severiens et al. 2009)

There is added concern about the participation rates and study-success of disabled students in dutch FE/HE.(Inspectie van het Onderwijs 2010)

Dutch (demissionary) secretary of state for education recently called for access criteria in FE/HE accreditation system.(Marja van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart, letter from OCW to Parliament dated 12 March 2010)

A national organisation, handicap+studie, is tasked with sharing expertise in relation to access arrangements in tertiary education.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Deaf/hoh students themselves discussed access in terms of empowerment.

They called for improvements in the FE/HE support infrastructure.

SESposium, Amsterdam, January 2010

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

An earlier study focussed on the linguistic nature of deaf/hoh access needs and support.

It called for the establishment of a national expertise centre for linguistic access.

The centre would benefit a diverse range of students including also dyslexic, foreign, and ethnic minority students.

(Brennan, Grimes and Thoutenhoofd 2005)

Earlier study: Scotland (2005)

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Assumptions in the Dutch contextThe following background assumptions guided the development of the current initiative:

There is reported structural underperformance of primary/secondary deaf education.

Deaf youngster are at-risk in school-work transitions, and at risk of relative under-employment.

They are at habitual risk of social exclusion in- and outside education.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Access to higher education

Institutions offer minimal proactive support for deaf/hoh students, since

Secondary school results contra-indicate tertiary education Policy measures punish institutions for study delays There is unwillingness to be a magnet for sub-optimal students There is negligible legal imperative or grass-roots activism Contextual data collection is culturally impopular There is comparatively modest public awareness or disquiet Access arrangements need to be instigated by students

Under these conditions, underparticipation is an anticipated finding of the current research initiative.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Objectives

The objectives of the research initiative are to:

› Network deaf/hoh students during their study; › Embed the network in FE/HE;› Research practice through practical interventions;› Encourage professionalisation of access support;› Distribute and publicly discuss results, and› Improve successful participation rates among deaf/hoh students.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Methodological approach› Establish a student network of action research

Include FE/HE support professionals Host frequent learning conversations

› Train deaf/hoh students in collaborative action-research› Support the network with research skills and resources› Host annual surveys› Publicly report intentions, activities and findings

National network-building scheduled to start 2010-2011

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

10

How many students are deaf/hoh?

There is no reliable ascertainment research that indicates the national number of deaf people or deaf learners in the Netherlands.

The incidence of deaf/hoh youth in the UK is 2.05 per 1,000 population(among 9+ years olds, >40dB HL; based on Fortnum et al. 2001)*

Assuming the UK incidence figure, the incidence of deaf/hoh learners in the Dutch population can be estimated as follows:

in 1,553,000 pupils in primary ≈ 3,183 may be deaf/hoh in 941,000 pupils in secondary ≈ 1,929 may be deaf/hoh (total figures based on CBS jaarboek 2009)

in 375,000 students in FE ≈ 769 may be deaf/hoh in 213,900 students in HE ≈ 439 may be deaf/hoh

(total figures based on OCW kerncijfers 2008)

* These figures are corrected from earlier versions of this presentation, where a wrong incidence figure was accidentally used.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Deaf / hoh students may follow lectures using a Dutch sign language (NGT) interpreter and/or a speech-to-text interpreter. We asked one national agency (Tolknet) to let us have the number of persons booking interpreters for higher education purposes.

Interpreter bookings

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Interpreter bookings 2010

12

type of education number

Primary education 7

Secondary education 20

MBO (intermediate vocational education) 48

Lifelong learning or Placement 26

Higher education 46

Unknown 15

Total 162

The table shows the educational users of Tolknet. 46 deaf/hoh persons booked interpreters for higher education study in jan-june 2010.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Baseline questionnaire (n=27)

The research team hosted a first pilot survey about access support arrangements in higher education in May/June 2010. It is an initial inventory of deaf/hoh student participation.

The survey covered five themes: Basic information about the chosen study Registration and making contact about support A comparison of granted and wished for support A measure of social acceptence/motivation Study predictions—how well do deaf/hoh students think they are

progressing with their studies?

In the first trial 45 students were identified; 27 (60%) completed the survey.

13

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

General findings

16 (62%) of respondents are in higher professional training.6 (23%) are in university.4 (15%) have dropped out.17 (65%) of respondents are >5 yrs into their study.11 (41%) are 1 year delayed in their study.3 (11%) are 2 years delayed in their study.

There is a strong, significant interaction between deaf/hoh status and study-delay (Cramer’s V=.65, p=0.005). However, this interaction has yet to be compared with study-delay among hearing students generally, and it is based on a small sample size.

14

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Of the respondents, 16 (n=23, 70%) could not specify their deaf/hoh status during registration. 17 respondents (n=22, 77%) have no objection to this.

However, 13 (n=24, 54%) students explicitly declined to specify their deaf/hoh status. The reasons that were provided include:

do not think it necessary (2) do not see myself as functionally impaired (2) did not know that this was possible (8) left registration to previous institution (1)

Despite issues with indicating their deaf/hoh status, most respondents did have a meeting with an advisor or coach at the start of their study.

15

Registration and advice

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Detailed findings

The following slides show response-graphs in relation to various forms of support. In each case they address the support repondents were granted, and what they (in addition) would wish for, in terms of:

› Course adaptations› Assessment adaptations› Human and material support› Technical and general support› Additional forms of support, and› Social acceptance and belonging

The total number of responses may vary per question and item.

16

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

17

Course adaptations

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

18

Assessment adaptations

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

19

Human and material support

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

20

Technical and general support

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Additional forms of support

The following was given in response to an open question about which additional forms of support the deaf/hoh respondent would like to use:

Facebook and other ‘web-02’ facilities;Instant message networking;Smartphone communications;Interpreter to correct language of written assignments;Audio-recorders during contact hours;Speech-to-text interpreter for text-transcription, and

Special glasses that can change speech into subtitling on the lenses.

21

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

22

Social acceptance & motivation

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Conclusions

23

The following conclusions can be drawn from this initial survey.

There is cause to suppose considerable under-participation of deaf/hoh students in dutch FE/HE.

Deaf/hoh students get general support, but wish for specific support.

With respect to assessments, deaf/hoh students benefit from adjustments already in place for dyslectic students(e.g. extra time, adapted assignments).

Deaf/hoh students wish for cutting edge technical support, of which there is very little provided.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Initial recommendations

24

In view of our preliminary findings, we think the following initial recommendations may be proposed to further guide our project:

› Public agencies might collect incidence data;› Institutions might proactively engage at-risk populations;› Deaf/hoh students might actively circulate solutions.

This last point calls for a change in access culture with respect to co-owning issues, generating relevant data, establishing self-critical dialogue, and collective intervening in current practice.

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

Email contacts25

Queries about this project may be directed to:

Ernst D. Thoutenhoofd ([email protected]) orBeppie van den Bogaerde ([email protected])

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

26

Brennan, M.; Grimes, M.; Thoutenhoofd, E.D. (2005) Deaf students in Scottish Higher Education: A report for the Scottish Funding Council. Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Funding Council, Equality Forward and Scottish Sensory Centre. (www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk/resources/deaf/deafstuds/intro.html)

Fortnum, H.M.; Summerfield, A.Q.; Marshall, D.H.; Davis, A.C.; Bamford, J.M. (2001) Prevalence of permanent childhood hearing impairment in the United Kingdom and implications for universal neonatal hearing screening: Questionnaire based ascertainment study, in British Medical Journal. 323:1–6.

Inspectie van het Onderwijs (2010): Onbelemmerd studeren: Beleid en voorzieningen voor studenten met een functiebeperking in het hoger onderwijs. Utrecht, Netherlands: Inspectie van het onderwijs. (www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten-en-publicaties/publicaties-pb51/onbelemmerd-studeren.html)

Severiens, S., Rezai, S, Wolff, R., de Koning, J. Gravestein, J., Tanis, O. and Beretty, T. (2009) Studeren met een functiebeperking: Resultaten van een onderzoek onder eerstejaars-studenten. Rapport no.134, Beleidsgerichte studies Hoger onderwijs en Wetenschappelijk onderzoek. The Hague, Netherlands: Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap. (www.onderwijsenhandicap.nl/index.cfm?sid=205#Onderzoek)

References

|Date 14.07.2010


utrecht

27

Thank you for your attentionDeaf students in Dutch higher education

Ernst D. Thoutenhoofd, University of Groningen

Beppie van den Bogaerde, Hogeschool Utrecht

Paper presented at Equality Diversity Inclusion (EDI) 2010 Conference

Vienna, Austria 14-16 July 2010

In collaboration with:

Expertisecentrum handicap + studie

Signo Ergo Sum | Jongerencommissie

The sociopolitics of deaf students' access to higher education

Education

network deafhoh students

higher education study

secondary education

deaf hoh students

higher education institutions

scottish higher education

outside education

number of disabled students