Examining Faculty Perceptions on Providing Instructional Services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student

Deaf and hard of hearing (D/hh) students face academic challenges in the post-secondary setting due to low literacy skills and academic barriers. However, despite these challenges, little attention has been focused on mainstream faculty who teach D/hh students. This study investigated perceptions of mainstream faculty at the post-secondary level who teach D/hh students.;Data collected through this dissertation will add to the literature by providing perceptions of instructional faculty from 10 mainstream colleges in California. With the exception of one, these colleges do not house a specialized Deaf college on campus, providing a more representative sample of the general population. A mixed method study design was utilized. Instruments consisted of a 66 item survey consisting of 10 demographic questions and a 56 item Likert scale and an open-ended interview. A total of 585 faculty responded to the survey. Eight faculty throughout California were interviewed. Data collected provide greater insight on instructional services provided to D/hh students from the mainstream faculty perspective.;Faculty exposed to D/hh individuals had significantly higher scores in mean teaching effectiveness, in-class social interaction, and opinions of D/hh. There was no significant mean difference by College Type in teaching effectiveness and in-class social interaction, but CC faculty had a significantly higher mean score compared to CSU faculty in opinions of D/hh. There was no significant difference in taught D/hh between CC and CSU faculty for the three dependent variables. The interaction between college type and having taught D/hh students approached significance for teaching effectiveness and is significant for in-class social interaction. The qualitative portion yielded six key themes which are awareness, accessibility, interpreter logistics, interpreter skill level, language barrier, and professional development.;Implications of this study indicate the need for resources and administrative support regarding the implementation of professional development. Resources regarding Deaf culture, sign language interpreters, and academic accommodations were stated as the most crucial for the institutional vitality and growth toward a Deaf inclusive campus.