Hearing impaired students

We have a wealth of experience in supporting those with hearing impairments. We can offer the following assistance and support:

• Amplifiers at all reception areas
• Staff development sessions
• Note-takers for lectures and seminars
• Hearing loop systems
• Video library or relevant information
• Hearing dogs welcomed
• Telephone points in Halls of Residence for IT access
• Lip readers and signers can be provided through Disabled Students' Allowance

We feel that it is important for students and staff not affected by hearing impairment to understand the disability. Here is a brief overview of the effects.

Deafness and hearing impairment are terms used to cover the whole range of hearing loss. This includes people who are deaf, partially deaf or partially hearing, deafened, deaf/blind, or hard of hearing, and people with tinnitus.

Students with hearing impairment may experience difficulties in lectures and seminars and where there is a lot of background noise. Students can experience great frustration in these situations.

Support for a student with hearing impairment may be technological (eg a hearing loop) or personal (eg an interpreter). Deafness can affect communication and therefore a student's learning experience, in a way that few other disabilities do.

Many deaf students see themselves as belonging to a minority community of British Sign Language users, and experience English very much as a second language. Even where English is seen as a first language, there can be communication issues for deaf students who are lip-readers.