Perspectives of Assistive Technology from Deaf Students at a Hearing University.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of Deaf students attending a large 'hearing' university regarding their use of assistive technology (AT). Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants and responses were videotaped and transcribed from sign language to English. A collective case study approach was used to analyze the data. Three primary categories concerning perspectives of AT emerged from the qualitative analysis: (a) self-reported use of assistive technology and overall benefits, (b) barriers to AT use, and (c) facilitators to AT use. Discussion centers on the struggle to balance the triad of information that deaf students encounter in the university classroom and offers recommendations to assist deaf students in 'hearing' classrooms at the university level.