Voices Unheard: The Academic and Social Experiences of University Students who are Hard of Hearing

Abstract

Persons with disabilities are under-represented in universities and little is known of the nature of their university experience. As a subgroup, students who are hard of hearing are even more neglected because of the invisible nature of their hearing loss and the relatively recent recognition of their disability status. Consequently, little is known about their experiences within the university culture, with their academic programs, and with the social aspects of university life. There are knowledge gaps as to what motivates students who are hard of hearing to attend and continue in university. There is a lack of information about what constitutes a positive university experience for them and, conversely, a negative one. Nor is it known the extent, if any, their partial hearing plays in shaping their experiences and the extent to which their experiences are similar to or different from the rest of the student population. Although there have been some findings about students in general and about deaf students, the application of these findings to students who are hard of hearing is unknown.