Hard-of-Hearing Individuals’ narratives of Inclusion and Exclusion about their schooled EFL learning

Abstract

This paper deals with research on inclusion concentrating on the pedagogical implications derived from a qualitative case study that looked into three hard-of-hearing (HHs) students’ perspectives and retrospectives on their schooled EFL learning. Data came from narratives gathered in autobiographical writings and interviews. Although there is a good body of literature on pedagogy in terms of strategies for dealing with HHs, few works have counted on the student’s perspectives. The authors’ insights, one of them being hard-of-hearing, call for truly inclusive policies and practices that address the categories developed in this case study, namely: 1. Deafness separates HHs from people. 2. Hearing aids are not like glasses, and 3. An exemption is not inclusion. The authors feel that the recommendations made are valid for learners with or without disabilities.

Keywords

• foreign language
• hard of hearing
• inclusion pedagogy
• inclusion policies
• learning rights
• special education