Introduction
Background
Hearing impairment is a generic term associated with both the deaf and the and hard of hearing leading to difficulty within a person in working and relating with the environment. Many people define hearing impairment as the inability to hear sounds. It is a condition where a person’s ability to detect certain frequencies of sound is completely or partially impaired. Such people find it difficult to grasp certain aspects while undergoing the educational system. Hearing impairment can disturb the whole variety or only part of the hearing spectrum, which for a language perception; the vital district is between 250 and 4,000Hz. These people undergo rough times due to discriminations where they are barred from attending educational system based on the disability. All the same, having understood that disability is not inability, the community has accepted such people and are trying hard to make their lives comfortable after all no one would wish to be disable (Arf´e & Boscolo, 2006, p271). Different stakeholders and nations have developed various ways of ensuring that the disabled are given equal opportunities like the able and this has been so extensive in the field of education.
Motivation
Technological advancement has worked so hard in trying to find a lasting solution for such people with visual impairments (Deafed.net, 2001). Children with hearing impairment have had to attend special schools with expertise in ensuring that the get the best out of the educational system. Many researches have indicated that training or teaching the disabled is an investment in the education just like in teaching and training the able community (Allen in Schildroth, & Karchmer, 1968). They are regarded as normal human resource like the others and this calls for serious measures in teaching them. One very vital development in the educational system is the e-learning where stakeholders are able to learn online. Such concepts are applicable in the special schools dealing with children with hearing impairment (Van den Broek, 1997, p321).
Aim
This paper describes the various benefits of using the e-learning method or concept in the special schools for children with hearing impairment. It however accepts the possibility of the various barriers that prevents the applications of such important technological advancements. It therefore goes a notch a head and discusses the possible barriers to effective e-learning of children with hearing impairment while attempting to get the relevant solutions for the discussed barriers (Van den Broek, 1997, p329). In conclusion, the paper gives a stand regarding the thesis statement, “removal of barriers to learning for children with hearing impairment in the e-learning environment is the best thing the world can ever offer to the disabled children thus promoting their welfare through enhancing easy learning process for them”.
Terminology
- E-learning: Constitutes all forms of electronic supported learning as well as teaching.
- Hearing Impairment- This is a condition that lacks the ability to detect certain frequencies of sound.
- Sensorineural HL- Is a type of hearing loss in which the root cause lies in the vestibulocochlear nerve.
- LODE- This is an e-tool for learning.
- ASL- American Sign Language
- KDS- Kids Sign Outline.
Literature Review
Categories
There is a great difference between being deaf and having a hearing impairment ut most people have confused the two to mean the same things. Whereas deaf relates to the total loss of hearing skills in one or both the two ears, hearing impairment relates to both comprehensive and partial loss of the skill to hear. In fact, there are two classifications of hearing impairment; Conductive or Sensorineural. There are instances where the two can occur at the same time. These two types of hearing impairment have differences in them and the way they affect the person. Whereas conductive hearing impairment refers to an injury that results from dysfunction in any of the organs or instruments found in the ear that helps transform sound into meaningful information, Sensorineural impairment is one that results in the inner ear dysfunction. The latter is where the cochlea is affected within the interior of the ear thus failure to transform sound sensational into meaningful signals. The following gives the differences between the two forms of hearing impairment.
| Conductive | Sensorineural |
| ü Physically or surgically treatable | ü Leads to infectious diseases that are treatable with medications |
| ü Affects 4% of all school going children | ü Only 0.3% are affected |
| ü Almost all cases are due to glue ear | ü Minimal cases are due to glue ear |
| ü Sounds perceived by brain are diminished but are generally not distorted | ü Sounds perceived by the brain are both distorted and diminished |
Tools
It is important that a system be developed in order for the deaf students and their teacher to have a proper interaction that would see into it that the verbal language of such students using signs is up to date. Systems have been proposed on the e-learning environment on how to ensure an interactive relationship based on learning between the deaf children and their teachers. Some centralized systems have been proposed and developed thus making sure that students with hearing impairment and their teachers interact normally like those without any problems physically (Van den Broek, 1997, p342). These systems have proved very useful in enhancing the educational level amongst the children with hearing impairment thus enabling various communities, organizations, and governmental stakeholders to be efficient and effective while trying to secure a good place for the deaf within the advancing and growing global village.
Many scholars have no doubts in them that such interactive sign languages will be very useful in enhancing educational development amongst deaf children. Some examples of such systems are described in the following paragraphs, which gives an elaborate incite into how such systems can be applied within the conceptual framework of teaching and learning of children with hearing impairments (Wallace & Apt, 2006, p89). From these discussions, it will be easier to identify the barriers to such development and find ways of removing the barriers with so much intent of creating a barrier free e-learning environment especially for the physically challenged individuals in terms of hearing. The following are some examples of sign language applications for the children with hearing impairments.
Within the e-learning environment, learners get the chance of interacting and learning through online services and materials. Online learning entails the use of internet in getting the required materials that enhance the learning process. So far, this has been considered as one of the best and the cheapest way of getting information for the children with hearing impairment. In an e-learning environment, many software and programs have been advance in order to ensure that the deaf get the best out of education. One such advancement or useful program has been the use of an e-learning tool called the LODE, a LOgic-based e-tool for the DEaf Children (Gennari, & Mich, 2007, p98). LODE is an important tool in enhancing the learning process of a deaf child. It is web tool for deaf children aiming at stimulating global reasoning on the already written e-stories. Text comprehension has enabled the access of knowledge in a broader way thus appraisable (Wallace & Apt, 2006, p152). It is important to note that throughout the world from the classical period to the contemporary world, many people have documented the fact that reading delay in deaf children is really a challenge thus such tools as LODE are vitally needed to solve the issue (Dillon & Song, 1997, p214).
Some of the reasons proposed for the difficulty in the reading of the deaf are that they are not exposed to the verbal language and the idea that it becomes difficult for them to grasp content faster due to the poor understanding ability. From scholars’ point of view, a person with limited access or exposition to verbal language finds it difficult to comprehend the necessary written language. It is important therefore that appropriate measures be taken in an attempt of solving such problems (Gennari, & Mich, 2007, p121). LODE gives the room for the deaf children within an e-learning environment to be able to reason out in a logically manner about the written narrative presented to him or her. Through such tools, a deaf is able to understand the comprehension of written language despite the fact that there is limited exposition to the verbal language.
A novel literacy e-tool for deaf children should have the ability of aiming at stimulating reasoning, globally, on a narrative by correlating the various activities or events present within the excerpts or narratives within their reach. LODE e-tool bases its main objective in education of deaf children on such concepts. In fact, LODE narrates written stories especially the narratives as children enjoy them more than other forms or writing while inviting the deaf children to create simple stories out or the read narratives (Khwaldeh & Matar 2007, p42). After that, the e-tool, LODE invites the same engaged deaf children to deduce consistent correlations whether positive or negative from among the events unfolding within the provided stories. Such invitations and interactions between the deaf children and the e-tool learning materials encourage the educational development of the deaf children thus it is important for different organizations, firm, and government to ensure that such tools exits for the betterment of the educational system amongst the physically challenged group of people and more especially the deaf.
This was developed by (Traxler 2000, p337) through coming up with a PHP program that is meant to support the use of sign language in an e-learning environment for the children with hearing problem. In this proposed and developed system, a deaf person who accesses the internet with a view of learning would have the website for learning entered. Once this is done, a word is shown on the screen of the monitor as a movie using the sign language. From this movie display of the various words, the deaf student recognizes the word thus does his or her selection of the word and continues with the learning process (Dillon & Song, 1997, p235). Once the student is able to recognize the word from the given list of words then it becomes very easy for him or her to enter the website and do more of the leaning on his or her own. This has proved to be one of the best tool used in the e-learning environment giving the students a chance of getting to interact with the teachers of the educational systems through the internet (Traxler 2000, p340).
Such methods especially the ASL is applicable globally in world countries that learn through English language. It is important to encourage such development and technological advancement in order to ensure that there is no stone unturned and that the physically challenged get the fair share of the educational system (Deafed.net, 2001). Deaf students through using the ASL are able to understand various procedures involved in enhancing the learning process. It gives them the opportunity to share their views in better ways and this is very useful, as it will enhance the development of such children (Khwaldeh & Matar 2007, p87). From the ongoing discussion, it is true that learning and education are correlated activities and that their advancement and developments are such vital and influential when it comes to the developmental studies of the individuals with the hearing problems (Dillon & Song, 1997, p265).
ASL is an e-tool that allows the students to use definite websites for ensuring that they grasp the knowledge required in enhancing the various educational developments. It is therefore important that students should be taught various mechanisms for developing the ways of accessing the website and through such ways, it will be important that the students involved will have a smooth learning process and this will lead to educational stand up of such students (Traxler 2000, p348). ASL is an e-tool that creates a conducive environment enhancing the proper allocation of time for development of websites that are going to be very useful in ensuring that the respective students understand the various learning and by extension the educational system of the said institutions (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008). Many special schools for physically challenged students and more especially the deaf have embarked on a mission that is very essential in enhancing the well being of their students through the website interaction tools such as the ASL and other sign languages that are available in other countries. Indeed, people are doing commendable jobs aimed at enhancing equality amongst different groups and categories of people without caring the physical challenges one has (Furth 1966, p461).
This is a website for kids who want to learn the sign language due to their hearing disability. In most cases, this promotes the use of the British language unlike the ASL that promotes the American language. It has been identified by researches that such languages are very important and vital in most parts of the world (Deafed.net, 2001). Most countries apply the two languages in an attempt to develop their educational curricula no wonder technological developers though of only these two at the beginning. It should be noted however that due to increased demands for such sign languages caused by different spoken languages, it has become necessary for the responsible citizens and scholars of various countries to come up with the relevant sign language to assist children with hearing problems (Furth 1966, p462). Such sign language e-tools for learning include the Arabic Sign Language (ArSL). All these sign languages operate just like the other do with the difference being the fact that they support various languages.
Other than sign languages in ensuring that there is interactions between deaf students and their teachers, there has been serious developments in the learning and educational process within the various organizations and stakeholders of the educational system. Such systems include the following;
According to different projects carried out with an aim of developing education amongst the various educational stakeholders and especially the ones with physical impairment such as hearing, so many developments and findings accrued. Such projects have been very useful in ensuring that the hearing-impaired students get chance at least to understand the educational system in a perfect way (Gennari & Mich, 2008). An example of a project that has yielded so much in terms of the educational development of children with hearing problems is the Webeducation Software Planungsund EntwickungsgmbH in conjunction with the Australian Association for hearing impaired deaf project (WITAF). This project has so far been useful as it led to the development of an e-learning tool that gives the deaf the possibility of generating and publishing contents by themselves on the e-learning platform. Is this not a beautiful and awesome project and development? Most of the deaf children in the learning platform can now be able to generate and publish certain contents by themselves and this has been very useful in enhancing the educational process of the physically challenged (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008).
Various developments have been made as regards the educational systems of the physically challenged students especially those with hearing problems. Through the development of the BSL, so many developments have followed. Among them is the development of the text-to-sign browsers. In this system, it is possible and easier for the deaf to translate the text information into sign language and vice versa (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008). This would mean that whenever the student faces challenges in understanding the various concepts of written languages, he or she simply translates the written or text language into sign language thereby aiding his or her understanding of the same concept. Again, after the development of a sign language and the student fins it difficult to translate the language into a text format, it will be easy to translate it using the browser (Deafed.net, 2001). This has been another awesome development in the educational sector of the children with hearing problems.
Another awesome invention amongst the technological scholars has been the discovery of the online SL dictionaries. There has been development of such dictionaries that aid in the development of the learning process of an individual. It gives the learner the opportunity to get to know the meaning of certain words within the learning process. Online Sign language dictionaries are an important tool for learning and training of the sign languages as used by the various learning students (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008). It is developed according to the language of the SL. For instance, the Italian sign language has its own online sign language in Italian. Many online dictionaries for the sign languages have been developed to this direction. It has become a very important tool for the trade; in this case, our trade understands the learning concept of the children with hearing problems. Each sign is accompanied from the material including very vital components that is; on one side one translational equivalent and the other side synonyms and antonyms in the Sign Language (Deafed.net, 2001). These have been commendable developments in the educational system of the learning and education of the children with hearing problems.
Techniques
The major focus of this study is establishing the various effects of hearing impairment on the learning process of a child. It is proven that hearing impairment significantly affects the learning process of an individual however mild the problem may be (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1997-2011). In the U.S. it has been found out that every school there are students experiencing hearing problems hence every teachers should expect to find at least one children having difficulties in hearing hence affecting his learning adversely (Schappert, S. 1992). Moreover, Davis (1990) asserts that academic delays are a characteristic of children experiencing hearing problems however mild they may be. The following chart gives some of the main characteristics of the problems experienced from the hearing impairment significantly having the possibility of affecting the child’s learning process.It can be seen from the data that shows in the graph the increasing performance gap for children with very slight hearing losses.
Figure 2
(Crandell, C. 1993)
In here review of the Children with hearing loss issue Finitzo-Hieber, T. and Tillman, T. 1978 identify the children with hearing impairment require more favorable conditions (a development in signal-to-noise ratio of 12 to 15 dB) than do other children acceptable to achieve the same word credit. That is, the teacher’s voice must be heard by an additional 12 or 15 dB above the noise level in order for children with hearing loss to understand as well as other children in the same room. These more favorable listening conditions cannot be attained through children’s use of hearing aids alone. On the other hand, Traditional hearing aids place the microphone on the child’s ear, and these increase both the signal (the teacher’s voice), and the noise (the children’s chatter) equally.
Figure 3 presents the experimental data on the noise combined with reverberation has a dramatic effect on speech understanding by children with sensorineural hearing loss.
Figure 3
(Finitzo-Hieber, T. and Tillman, T. 1978)
The most interesting finding was that children with hearing impairment appearance like all other children, but they reasonably experience prevention while trying to learn in unfavorable conditions. Some prosper in spite of the conditions; others could be become poor readers, deprived mathematics students, or behaviour problems (Davis, 1990). The first set of analyses examined the impact of hearing impairment that could present a barrier to connected learning for different reasons that includes; 90% of the knowledge developed by a young child is educated incidentally. Furthermore, a hearing impairment is a fence to overhearing and education from the environment. In addition, children with hearing impairment cannot listen and learn-at least 10%of classroom instructions may be missed (Dr G K Hebbar, s, ENT Endoscopy Centre, 2000-8).
The process of learning for the deaf has been very difficult since such people have unique communication needs. They are unable to hear the continuous and repeated flow of language used for them while passing on the message. Unlike hearing children, hearing-impaired children are unexposed to enormous amounts of the language simulation. In any case, researches have indicated that their learning abilities do not often go beyond that of a young children having o hearing problem, to be precise the researches have compared them to eight-year old normal children and found out that they have a lower learning ability than the latter. Another important characteristic of the hearing-impaired children is the fact that they tend to reason on single episodes and show difficulties while in the fundamental process of formulating global relations such as the temporal relations that exists between episodes of a narrative that is presented to them for analysis (Arf´e & Boscolo, 2006, p300). Such problems are taken into considerations while dealing with the deaf, hearing-impaired children when aiming to educate them.
Application
Barriers to Learning for Deaf Children in an e-Learning Environment
Having discussed some of the ways in which children with hearing impairment can get to know various ways of understanding and being learned; it will be prudent to embark now on a discussion of the various barriers that exist in the e-learning environment for the development of the learning objectives for early challenged students.
Technological Barriers
Technological advancement has led to more computers to be more adapted or manufactured for accessibility as well as to perform certain specific functions. However, such technological advancements are prone to different kinds of barriers that if not mitigated then the advantages of such technological advancements will not only be in vain but also introduce more complications to society especially the educational society (Lamdsberg, Kruger & Nel, 2005, p75). The very first technological barrier arising from such developments include the expensiveness of hardware and software required in installing the various programs that support the learning of children with hearing impairments. Such expensiveness has been felt so much in the developing countries where the special education sector finds it difficult to acquire those (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008). Consequently, there are poor developed educational systems for those children with hearing problems thus causing the countries even more as there are many mouths to feed with fewer hands that bring food to the table.
Another technological barrier is the lack of qualified personnel to operate the various specific programs developed for the deaf. First, computer hardware and software offerings are still much too expensive for most students and schools. Unlike the other normal software and hardware not forgetting the programs developed from such software of the normal operating systems, the deaf have specialized programs, software, and hardware that require trained personnel in such specific areas (Moore 2004, p38). It is a pity that most of these personnel are inadequate within the environment and this causes so many problems as regards to the development of the educational system amongst the deaf. It is even worse to discover that most of the teachers within such specialized schools were trained in the normal operating programs and not those specific to teaching the handicapped students in terms of hearing. This has been a serious barrier as regards the administering of the educational concepts to the children with hearing impairment in the e-learning environment (Lazzaro 2001, p74).
Structural Barriers
Educating children with hearing impairments within the e-learning environment does not only require technological advancements but also the structural development that can accommodate such technologies. Structural developments include the buildings, other necessary resources, and the human resources. Resources are very useful in developing different projects within a give are or sector. It is appraisable how different countries have worked so hard in developing special schools for the development of the educational sector in the children with hearing problems (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008). However, with increased technological development, it has become inevitable to change and develop some of those special schools with an aim of ensuring that there are no discordances between the structural developments of the special schools and the technological advancements. Such structural problems have become a barrier to the educational development of the children with hearing problems or impairments (Lazzaro 2001, p88). Both the structures and the resources have posed a great challenge to development of the various educational systems for the children with hearing problems and this should be addressed.
Political Barriers
Politics is usual the central stage for any development or underdevelopment existing within a given nation. In this regard, politics has played a bigger role in determining the development of the learning process of children with hearing problems. Developmental issues in most democratic forms of government require that the legislature pass certain bills to make it possible for the release of funds catering for such projects (Lamdsberg, Kruger & Nel, 2005, p128). Bills taken into legislative assemblies are normally carried out in personal interest forums or ways where a given group of legislatures with only support the passing of a development bill incase it will benefit the immediate society. The reasons for such actions is for them to use them in campaigns for the same positions in subsequent elections claiming that he or she is the one who initiated certain projects (Alldeaf.com, 2002). This has influenced significantly various aspects of development within nations governed democratically.
Even those nations with other forms of government such as dictatorial, anarchy, and monarchy amongst others have influence on the development of educational systems especially as concerns the physically challenged people (Leigh 1999, p102). This has been a serious barrier to such advancements. Another political barrier is the representation of the physically handicapped people within the governing bodies such that they can push for developments that directly relate to them. It is pathetic when you look at various countries’ governing bodies identifying very few physically challenged people representing their ideologies. In any case, even the groupings that they develop to help them fight for their rights are normally politicized and shunned down (Foster 1992, p76).
Socio-Cultural Barriers
Some socio-cultural barriers play a significant role in deterring the learning process of children with hearing impairment in e-learning environment. These factors or barriers arise due to the various believes and practices of various communities within the global village. It is unusual to discover that in most developing countries very find disable people are given the opportunities to get access to educational systems (Knight & Swanwick, 1999, p212). Such communities in the said developing countries have a conviction that there is very little that can be done in ensuring that such children receive the best of education. Most people in addition to this find it very difficult while comparing students with normal physique versus those having disability. It is a shame that the international community has not developed proper legislature that can assist in curbing this problem. Therefore, many people uses such loop holes in preventing the children from accessing the various educational systems and this proves to be very detrimental to not only the country affected but also the whole world.
Economical Barriers
With the technological requirements at the background of our minds, it becomes easy to estimate the necessary technological financing for a nation to be able to cater for people with hearing disability. Looking at the requirements it becomes so evident that there is much fund required in order to put up the various structures and technology. Many countries are however unable to meet such economical demands for the various structures and technological requirements (Foster 1992, p99). Without economical support, there is very little that can be done in terms of enhancing the educational systems for children with hearing disabilities thus leading to poor performance of the affected nation when they have many mouths to feed but very little hands that engage in the production process.
Removing Barriers to Learning for Children with hearing Impairment in E-learning Environment
The existing barriers to learning for children with hearing impairment in the e-learning environment should be removed if a community or a nation would like to attain highest levels of educational development (Alldeaf.com, 2002). Removal of the said barriers will also enhance the productivity of the nation taking into considerations that everyone is engaged in the production process. With the benefits of education well elaborated in the first paragraph of this paper, it is easier to understand and appreciate the benefits that will accrue to children with hearing impairment when they will be able to receive education through the removal of potential barriers. The following is a discussion on the removal of each barrier discussed above.
Removing Technological Barriers
It is important that the developers of the hardware, software, and specific programs for children with hearing impairment to come up with cheaper and affordable such devices in order for the lowly placed communities in terms of income to be able to purchase them. Caution should however be taken not t jeopardized the quality just because there is need for the reduction of the prices (Mohammad & Shirali-Shahreza, 2008). Reducing the costs of hardware, software, and specialized programs for the handicapped children can be achieved in a number of ways that include removal of trade barriers on the said equipment as well as giving subsidies to importers especially in places where they are not manufactured. When the materials are manufactured within the country, there should be developed policies to ensure that affordable products are produced (Barker & Schaik, 2010).
Inadequate qualified personnel as a barrier should be reduced by ensuring that there are a good number of trained people to deal with such equipments. Colleges and other higher learning institutions that train teachers for children with hearing impairment should engage in using the relevant programs in training and educating them. This will result into many teachers in the nation with right skills and expertise for enhancing the educational process. Removal of this barrier will go a long way in promoting the education of the said group of children with hearing impairment.
Furthermore, they could be employment of assistive technologies, which refers to computer hardware and software solutions enabling children with hearing impairments to use computers. They include devices such as voice recognition device allowing for automatic conversion of words given in the text especially while dealing with sign languages and vocal synthesis devices whose main function is that it allows for the text conversion or synthesis to speech or voice.
Removing Structural Barriers
For barriers related to structure, the specialized schools need to upgrade their structures to be able to meet the requirements of the advancing technology. This should include installations of networking dishes as well as satellite dishes enabling the various institutions proper, efficient, and effective capturing and accessing of the internet for exchange forums and other educational benefits derived from the internet.
There is need to come up with numerous special schools built using the modern technology that will promote the acceptance and education of children with hearing impairments. The number of special schools is not enough taking into considerations that the number of those kind of children who want to attend schools have now increased due to increased awareness concerning disability and inability (Alldeaf.com, 2002). Moreover, there is need for increasing the number of colleges that offer training of the various teachers who engage in teaching of the said group of children with hearing impairments.
Removing Political Barriers
Legislatures should mind about bills concerning the development of technology within the educational sector for that various categories of the disabled persons. Through acceptance and passing of the necessary bills, a country is able to obtain the required materials or equipment in enhancing the development of educational curricula. Their intervention will enhance the removal of trade barriers such as tariffs on the technological equipment for the children with hearing impairment.
There should be laws allowing for a given percentage of representation in the legislatures for the physically challenged people. This will give them rooms for pushing for development agenda among them, a thing that has for a long time been forgotten (Alldeaf.com, 2002). Representation of such groups of people will give them the forum to identify the various projects especially relating to educational sector for them to be independent as well, in any case, it is true beyond reasonable doubt as it has always been said; disability is not inability (Royal College of Physicians of London, 2007).
Removing Socio-Cultural Barriers
This barrier is only removable through enlightenment of the community concerning the various ways of accepting and taking care of the physically challenged persons. There is need to educate them on the merits of educating them and demerits of failing to take them to schools. This will go along way in enhancing the education of the various affected children having the disability of hearing (Barnes & Mercer, 2010).
Removing Economical Barriers
Economic barriers are removable through soliciting for funds from different organizational bodies such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the likes. It may be reduced through asking for donors and grants to finance projects of promoting and encouraging the educational systems of the children with hearing problems (Levine & Maggie, 2007). Different bodies within a nation should come together to assist children with hearing impairment to achieve the desired objectives in education.
Methodology
This research was conducted in order to determine how we can remove barriers for children in an E-Learning environment. It was also good to evaluate the advantages as well as disadvantages of E-Learning in this particular environment. Specifically, a total of 60 respondents, from various fields were questioned so as to evaluate the usage of e-learning for children with hearing impairment. The selected participants in the research reacted to questions and data was hence gathered from the research and later computed for interpretation. Along with employing primary data collection, the research also used secondary resources in the form of articles published as well as literature to support the survey results.
Research Design
The descriptive method of analysis was employed in the given study. This was characterized by gathering information about the benefits of using e-learning for children with hearing impairment. It also described how to remove barriers for children in an e-learning. The emphasis carried on in this research was to describe the situation about hearing impairments rather than judging the situation. The situation had already been out of hand with several limitations being referred to children with disability. In primary data collection, the research was able to use a flexible approach where new important issues arose and led to further investigation being carried.
In employing descriptive research of hearing impairments, the result was able to evaluate the condition as well as the degree of barriers for children in e-learning environment. The questions that were asked were related to hearing impairments in regard to children and e-learning.
- Are there available means of communication between disabled children in accessing the e-learning environment?
- Are parents and teachers offering satisfactory help to children with disability in advancing the mean of technology?
- As an individual, what are the barriers you think are facing children in an e-learning environment?
- What do you think are the benefits of using e-learning for children with hearing impairments?
- Are there any variations among people in terms of their communication with children with impairments?
- How has the government contributed to solving hearing impairment with regard to e-learning?
This resign outlook was carried out through research done from the books as well as from the internet. The group in question here is the children with hearing impairment with reference to their advancing in the e-learning environment. It is imperative to note that those who were being targeted were the working class whose age range from 18 to 60 years. The youth under the age of 30 years are more likely to face steep challenges in e-learning environment in regard to technology which continues to evolve. The age brackets of 35 years and above are making resounding detachment from making the subject matter and as a result, they are left out in making right choices in advancing the cause of children with hearing impairment. The scale outlined below was evaluated so as to interpret the total number of responses of all the respondents of the questions through computing the weighted mean.
Data Processing and Analysis
After gathering all the completed questionnaires from the 60 respondents, the total amount was analyzed in detail through reflecting on hearing impairment from various groups. In order to use the recognized data in evaluation, weighted mean to represent each question was given a computerized dimension. The weighted mean can be termed as the average in which a corresponding weight is linked to the quantity of averages. Each quantity of the given weights is represented by the corresponding weights.
Results
There should be laws allowing for a given percentage of representation in the legislatures for the physically challenged people. This will give them rooms for pushing for development agenda among them, a thing that has for a long time been forgotten (Alldeaf.com, 2002). Representation of such groups of people will give them the forum to identify the various projects especially relating to educational sector for them to be independent as well, in any case, it is true beyond reasonable doubt as it has always been said; disability is not inability (Royal College of Physicians of London, 2007). In ensuring this perception, we are going to create an enabling environment where the physically handicapped are catered for in e-learning.
The research has brought out issues that will lead to equal opportunity allocation for all stakeholders. For instance, affirmative action will be taken to ensure that no body will be deprived of the basic commodities of life. The research has enabled the general public to be having an insight in the area of e-learning. On the other hand, the public have appreciated the fact that there are initiatives that should be undertaken so as to ensure level playing ground.
Conclusion
As a parting short, the paper has elaborated on the removal of barriers to learning of children with hearing impairments within an e-learning environment. Nonetheless, the paper appreciated that it is always good to move from the unknown to the known. That is why it started by identifying the various benefits that accrue from education so that as one removes barriers to education, he or she becomes aware of the benefits that will be derived. In addition, the paper gave examples of e-learning tools just to shade some light on how the e-learning environment has influenced the education of the physically challenges (Alldeaf.com, 2002). Before embarking on the removal of the barriers, the paper gave the examples of barriers experienced within the educational system of physically handicapped children.
Overall, the paper concludes by accepting the thesis statement that indeed, removal of barriers to learning for children with hearing impairment in the e-learning environment is the best thing the world can ever offer to the disabled children thus promoting their welfare through enhancing easy learning process for them.
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