Students who are deaf or hard of hearing will need access to classes with an audio component.  Providing access can be costly and time consuming, so please consider the suggestions below.

• If it is a course that is taught off-site or if meetings with the instructor are required, then the student may require either a sign language interpreter or CART provider (a real-time captionist, primarily used by individuals who do not know sign language).  DSD can arrange for one of these options for the student.  Advance planning is critical as providers of these services are in great demand.
• For an online course, before deciding which online program to use, consider how a student who is deaf or hard of hearing will access the information you are presenting.  Any audio that is used (including lectures, class discussions, and videos) will need to be captioned for the student.  Ball State has a caption writer on staff (Jeff Bowers – jbowers@bsu.edu; 285-2766) who can assist with this.  However, providing captions to audio/visual materials is very labor intensive, so contact Jeff as early as possible for assistance.  If providing live caption for a lecture or captioning for a video is not possible, Jeff may be able to provide a transcript of either for you and the student.
• Because English is not often the first language for someone who is deaf, testing accommodations may be necessary.  If the student requests this, you may refer the student to DSD to assist in the provision of these accommodations.  If you use Inqsit for online exams, DSD can simply program in the necessary extended time for the student.  If you use Blackboard and a student needs extended time for an exam, you will need to create a separate section of the exam for the student and extend the time allotted for the test.  This is a quick and simple process.  Hamid Tabariasl (285-1844; htabaria@bsu.edu) can assist with this.