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Project Goals

There are an estimated 1.2 million Canadians with hearing disabilities. This represents a significant number of learners or potential learners. Canadian educational systems that serve deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing students appear to be failing (e.g., only 50% of Deaf high school students graduate and of those only 4.3% go on to post-secondary education). We need to understand why these educational systems are failing on a national scale and construct solutions to overcome the barriers identified. Towards this end, the project will delineate the state at the moment, identify gaps, and provide guidelines for decision makers that affect the community of learners who are deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing.

Project Objectives

Toward these goals the following objectives are identified:

1. To cultivate a network of Canadian organizations concerned with the learning technology needs of learners who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing. To develop effective methods of communicating and reaching consensus.
2. To gain an understanding of the existing learning environment for Canadians who are deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing (technology use and proficiency, learning goals, barriers to meeting goals). Learners and educators will be involved in this component of the project.
3. To identify and evaluate barriers to learning and to accessing education delivery systems for individuals who are deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing within Canada.
4. To create and disseminate a set of guidelines for addressing the learning technology needs of learners who are deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing.
5. To develop a strategic plan for the adoption of the guidelines by standards bodies, developers, funding agencies and education providers.

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