How ICTs improve education of hearing impaired students

By Harold ayodo

Special education experts have urged the Government to adopt Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to overcome the challenges that hinder hearing impaired students from learning.

Most public schools still use traditional hand signs to teach hearing impaired students yet ICTs offer better alternatives.

The experts say modern technology, including web camera (webcam) is the way to go in teaching the hearing impaired subjects like mathematics.

According to the Ministry of Education, 41 per cent of countries outside Africa have integrated ICT in education of the hearing impaired but the application of the same is yet to spread locally.

An academic paper presented at the recent Education Management Society of seminar at Kabarak University highlighted the plight of hearing impaired students.

Bungoma South District quality assurance officer Ann Kukali who presented the paper says hearing-impaired students also have speech disorders. "Modern technology enhances communication among the challenged students and teachers," Kukali says.

Kukali who is also pursuing Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) at Maseno University says provision of hearing aids would improve performance of hearing impaired students. "Research shows that hearing aids helps learners understand spoken language with little special help by amplifying sounds," Kukali says.

Kukali, who presented a paper on Technology for Quality Education for the Hearing Impaired in Kenya, says few students with hearing aids excelled academically. "Students with modern hearing aids in mainstream schools learn alongside their hearing classmates without using sign language or interpreters," she says.

Kukali says adoption of better devices would transform the lives of hearing impaired students.

For instance, the use of a speech-to-text-system technology device enhances visual perception. "It enables students read and conceptualise what is difficult through auditory (hearing) perception," Kukali says.

Adoption of the hearing aids in public schools would make learners benefit from television and radio lessons. There is also an option of the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) — a modified telephone that uses text capabilities.