Information Technology Literacy for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Higher Education

Abstract

The demand for employment in specific computing fields is high, during the last years. However, the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) persons are significantly underrepresented. In this paper, we study methods for increasing the participation of DHH students in computing fields, in order to provide them equal opportunities with normal students. We focus on the following two key research questions: What is an appropriate inclusive curriculum in Higher Education for supporting DHH students studying information technology? What kind of assistive technology resources (e.g., vocabularies in Sign Language) should be embedded in the curriculum, and how DHH students can be enabled to access and use such resources? A systematic review of the literature is conducted, and the design of an introductory academic course on information technology literacy for DHH students is examined.