Admission of and service provision for Deaf students at a University of Technology

Abstract

Research reveals that there is a lack of research on Deaf students in tertiary institutions in South Africa and that there are not many tertiary institutions which enrol Deaf students and provide them with sign language interpreters. While a considerable amount of research has been done on what constitutes Deaf students' barriers to gaining access to institutions of higher learning, not as much is known about the potential solutions to these problems. In addition, there is a lack of inquiry into the value of support services such as interpreting, note taking, real-time captioning and tutoring, particularly with regard to their impact on academic achievement. The purpose of this paper is to explore ways in which the quality of education for deaf students can be enhanced through access and support services in one institution of higher education.