Report of Communication Method Usage by Teachers of Deaf-Blind Children—Part III

Deaf/Blind News Report of Communication Method Usage by Teachers of Deaf-Blind Children—Part HI Corinne Klein Jensema, Ph.D. This is the third in a series of articles presented under the "Deaf-Blind News" which discusses the results of a national survey of communication methods used by deaf-blind children and their teachers during the fall of 1979. A questionnaire was distributed to 400 teachers of deaf-blind children in educational programs receiving ESEA, Title VI C funds. Findings were based on statistical analysis of 195 returned usable questionnaires. Questions focused on what communication methods teachers used with their students and students used with their teachers, auditorily , visually, and tactilely and to what extent each was used. In addition, teachers were asked to demographically describe the particular student about whom they reported according to such features as: sex; ethnic origin; type of educational facility and program; years in school; age of onset, etiology and degree of vision and hearing losses; percentage of time glasses and hearing aids were used; additional handicapping conditions and behaviors; and IQ. Randomization was achieved by asking the teachers to report on that student in their classes whose last name came first in the alphabet. Means and frequency distributions were determined for all demographic factors and communication methods through computer analysis. Cross tabulations were performed between various demographic factors to ascertain whether correlations existed which might reduce or enhance their influence on choice of communication methods. Partitioning of communication methods by demographic factors was achieved by first weighing the communication methods by the average amount of time each was reportedly used. Therefore, never = 5%, sometimes = 30%, usually = 70%, and always = 95%. Percentages of times for people who possessed these demographic factors were reported only when they were significantly different from the percentages of times for people who did not possess these same factors. This and the succeeding article will discuss the demographic features which showed some significant correlation with choice of communication methods and the implications these have for determination of educational policy. The hypotheses tested were: 1. Age of onset of vision and hearing losses considered independently and interdependently has no effect on the kind or frequency of use of communication methods. 2. Degree of vision and hearing losses has no effect on the kind or frequency of use of communication methods. 3. Etiology of vision and hearing losses has no effect on the kind or frequency of use of communication methods. 4. IQ has no effect on kind or frequency of use of communication methods. FINDINGS Hypothesis 1 could not be tested because the overwhelming majority of children were reported to have congenital losses. (See Tables 1 and 2.) It is highly likely that most of those children represented in the "Unknown" and Table 1. Distribution by Age of Onset of Vision Loss. Age N Percent At birth 1-5 years 6-10 years Unknown Not reported TOTAL 159 8 4 16 __8_ 195 81.6 4.1 2.1 8.2 4.1 100.0 488 A.A.O. I August 1981 DeaflBlind News Table 2. Distribution by Age of Onset of Hearing Loss. Age N Percent At birth 1-5 years 6-10 years Unknown Not reported TOTAL 151 5 1 28 10 195 75.9 2.6 0.5 14.4 5.1 100.0 "Not Reported" categories also had congenital losses. Suprisingly, the extent of vision and hearing losses and their etiologies only had a small bearing on communication methods used. A visually -presented gestural system was used most by children with moderate and moderate/severe losses and less by children with losses at the other two extremes. Youngsters with good vision probably can use a more sophisticated language system, and those with severe losses need a tactile modality. The worse a child's hearing, the more likely s/he is to use sign language because ability to interpret speech through audition deteriorates. Students deaf and blind as a result of maternal rebella used sign language and speech more, possibly because their teachers normally communicate with them through a combined method of speech and signs, usually called "simultaneous communication" (see Table 3). When congenital cataracts were present, sign...