Toward Development of a Computer Programming Ability in Deaf Pre-High-School Students: A Pilot Study

A special 3-week course in Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) programming was conducted for five deaf middle-school boys and girls (aged 14-16). The instructor was a hearing college professor, experienced in teaching computer courses, and the interpreter was experienced in deaf education. The instructor prepared a special textbook which employed controlled vocabulary and sentence structure and made liberal use of visual aids. All five students satisfactorily performed homework assignments and coded and ran a program written in the COBOL language. Results indicate that deaf boys and girls in this age group can learn basic computing skills. Programs such as this can introduce career paths to students early in the education process, enabling improved career planning and course selection.