Characteristics of a hearing impairment
When you are deaf or have a hearing impairment, you may have trouble keeping up with or understanding lectures or taking part in group assignments. Loud noises may cause you pain. If your first language is Dutch Sign Language (NGT) and not Dutch, writing assignments can be challenging for you. You experience obstacles in your communication with others and may have trouble understanding other people and vice versa.
This is what I deal with
Obstacles faced by students with a hearing impairment
- Lack of energy. Attending lectures uses up a lot of your energy because you do not always understand what is being said.
- Problems taking part in education. When you are deaf or have a hearing impairment, it can be difficult for you to keep up with and understand lectures. You might depend on lip-reading, for instance, but have to take notes at the same time. You may struggle with participation in group assignments and the communication this involves. Some forms of testing may not be suitable for you, such as oral exams or giving a presentation.
- Problems with an internship or a job. Because of your disability, it can be difficult for you to find – or keep – an internship. Effective communication and solid agreements are important to make this process go smoothly.
- Difficulty communicating. You have trouble communicating because of your hearing impairment. Communication can also be a challenge when your first language is not Dutch but Dutch Sign Language (NGT).
- Money problems. Not everyone can have a part-time job in addition to their studies.
- Housing-related problems. Do you plan to live in student housing? If so, you might – due to your deafness or hearing impairment – need specially modified housing. For instance, this could be a house where residents can use sign language with each other.
Even though these obstacles may cause difficulties, you can rest assured that more than enough tools and solutions are available that can help you successfully complete your degree programme. In the preceding section, click on the obstacle you are facing with which you could use some help. You can then read a lot more about that topic and find additional tips and tools. If your specific obstacle is not mentioned above, please refer to the comprehensive list of obstacles.
This is what I might need
Support and facilities for students with a hearing impairment
A variety of adjustments and/or facilities are available that may be helpful to you during your degree programme. While there are national schemes, your educational institution will offer its own forms of additional support, too.
As a student with a hearing impairment, you might have a need for the following:
- Guidance and advice. You might need help both at school and in your life outside the classroom. When you have a hearing impairment, you may be entitled to request an interpreter to help you take part in education.
- You can contact the Social Security Agency to request hours of interpreter assistance (Dutch) for educational and other situations. Once the hours of interpreter assistance have been requested and approved, you can arrange for an interpreter via Tolkcontact (Dutch).
- Teaching and testing aids. Your educational institution could potentially offer you the following facilities if you have a hearing impairment:
- help with taking notes in class, provided by a fellow student;
- adjusted form of testing, for instance so you can take an oral exam in written form;
- audio induction loop systems in various buildings or classrooms.
- Adjusted study schedule. You might need additional time in order to compete your degree programme. It is good to be aware that financial schemes are available in the event your study progress is delayed as a result of your disability.
- Financial schemes. Your hearing impairment might cause you to incur a study delay or prevent you from holding a part-time job. A variety of financial schemes are available from the Education Executive Agency (DUO), the municipality in which you live and your educational institution.
Have a look at the other facilities that might be helpful for you, too.
Tips
If you need support, you should inform your educational institution early on
Provide information about your need for support before you begin your degree programme. That way, you and the advisers at your educational institution can come up with agreements to help you be as successful as possible in your studies.
Inform your fellow students and lecturers
Not every fellow student and lecturer you meet will know how to respond to deafness or hearing impairments or know how you prefer to communicate. You may find it beneficial to inform them of your situation.
Studying with tinnitus
- Do you want to share experiences or discuss your problems? Then join the Tinnitus Young Network of Hoormij NVVS. They have a private Facebook page and Instagram.
- Do you want to explain to someone what you experience with tinnitus? Use the sound file 'Tinnitus no hearing' with over 150 tinnitus sounds.
- Tinnitus Patient Tool (Tinnitus)
Ask for help on time
Every student is different and everyone has a different need for help. It is important to find out what works for you. Don't be afraid to ask for help in time. In fact, asking for help is a very strong thing to do, because it shows how much you want to complete your studies successfully.
Talk to a student counsellor or confidential advisor at your school and ask what possibilities there are. Write down for yourself what you need and what help you think you will need.
Tell the school immediately if you are experiencing obstacles in your education due to your support needs. Together, we can then look at how this affects regulations such as the binding study advice (BSA) or compulsory attendance. For more information, please visit: https://www.hogeronderwijstoegankelijk.nl/en/this-is-what-I-need/bindin…
Deployment of assistive technology and specialist services
- Test facilities. For a test, you may be given extra time and/or an enlarged version of the test. Your educational institution may have individual rooms that you can use. You can also ask if you can use your own laptop to take the exam, or a laptop from your educational institution with the software you need. Perhaps written exams can be taken orally. Discuss this with your study supervisor.
- The OrCam is an innovative mini camera that makes inaccessible information instantly accessible. It allows you to read texts on the digiboard, but it can also help you find your way around the buildings of your educational institution. Check with the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) whether the OrCam can be (partially) reimbursed under the heading of 'workplace adaptation'.
How do I use an interpreter?
For more information, please visit the UWV website.
Experience stories
Read the experience stories of others here
- Davy: Jong en tinnitus - "Ik heb het best lang ontkend" (blog) - in Dutch
- Robin: hoort de hele dag hoge piepen en suizen - "Het is nooit meer stil in mijn hoofd" (blog) - in Dutch
- Tim: Leven met oorsuizen: “Normaal heb je alleen ’s avonds of de volgende ochtend last van een piep” (blog) - in Dutch
- Stefan van den Bosch: Oorwurm (documentaire) - in Dutch
- Daphne: "Hoe overleef ik het MBO met een auditieve beperking" (documentaire) - in Dutch
- Sophia: "Studying abroad with a hearing impairment is a challenge but is also very rewarding" (blog)
- Harm: Studying with an auditory disability (blog)
- Share your experience story too. With your experience story, you can give others, such as education professionals and fellow students, an insight into what goes well and what could be better when studying with special needs. A source of inspiration with tips, hints and flops. Together with you, ECIO provides an experience story with impact.
Inspiration (only available in Dutch)
- Inspiratieverhaal over de impact van online onderwijs. Niet gehandicapt genoeg voor hulp: ‘Mijn leven staat onnodig al een jaar stil’ Letthe is slechthorend en kan daardoor nauwelijks het online onderwijs volgen. Maar hulp kreeg ze lange tijd niet. (bron: Erasmus magazine EUR) (2021)
- Blog: Werken en leren op afstand studenten en medewerkers met gehoorbeperking. Ondersteuning vanuit de HAN met feiten en cijfers uitgelicht (2021).
- Verkenning ondersteunende tools bij gehoorbeperking voor online onderwijs en werken op afstand. Een inspirerend onderzoek naar functionaliteiten real time speech-to-text tool voor doven en slechthorenden. (2021) (HAN)
- Survey report naar de impact van de kwaliteit van ondertiteling voor doven en slechthorenden (2021) (Amberscript)
Organisations
Through the tool Hulpwijzer [Help Guide], you can find organisations that have expertise on your support needs. Check out the possibilities.