Agency, participation, and inclusion of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Germany and Switzerland

Hohenstein, Christiane; Stemmer, Petra

Publication type:	Conference paper
Type of review:	Peer review (abstract)
Title:	Agency, participation, and inclusion of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Germany and Switzerland
Authors:	Hohenstein, Christiane Stemmer, Petra
et. al:	No
Conference details:	17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (online), 27 June - 2 July 2021
Issue Date:	29-Jun-2021
Language:	English
Subjects:	Inclusive communication; Deaf and hearing impaired student
Subject (DDC):	378: Higher education 400: Language, linguistics
Abstract:	The inclusion of students with non-visible impairments still proves difficult to implement in higher education. Once the hurdle of access to university is overcome, support and encouragement become relevant. Hearing impairments represent non-visible impairments par excellence. They often go hand in hand with the fact that affected students avoid to “come out” in their study contexts and try to remain as “inconspicuous” as possible in learning environments shared with other students. Students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing impaired (DHH students) are generally considered to be particularly burdened in a university environment. This paper explores how DHH students experience inclusion and participate in German-speaking universities’ academic life. Inclusion not only requires equal access to study programs, but also inclusive everyday life interactions at university. Communication and situations of interacting, in particular, are decisive, as will be substantiated with empirical examples from German and Swiss higher education. In Switzerland, disproportionally small numbers of DHH students are succeeding in tertiary education up to now, if compared with blind and visually impaired students. As a part of a 4-year project on barrier-free communication in Swiss Universities, we explored DHH students’ experiences, opportunities, and challenges regarding access to and success in Swiss Higher Education (Hohenstein et al. 2018, Hohenstein & Zavgorodnia 2019, 2020). Based on 15 narrative interviews with deaf and hearing-impaired/hard of hearing persons who experienced or are currently enrolled in tertiary education in Switzerland, we ask how inclusion and inclusive communication are reflected in statements about participation and agency during tertiary education. The statements are analysed regarding linguistic agency using a functional pragmatics framework. In Germany little is known to date about students with hearing impairments at German higher education institutions. Few empirical studies have been documented (cf. Stemmer 2016, 2017). To participate in university life, communication, and situations of interaction with teachers and fellow students are decisive, in addition to structural support. Linguistic discourse is an important means of making patterns of perception and interpretations visible that lie beneath the surface, making them accessible to redefinitions with a view to actually creating a culture of inclusion. Problem-centered qualitative interviews with hearing-impaired students and supporting staff (n=8) at a German university are analysed through qualitative content analysis (cf. Mayring 2015). Discourse- and action-analytical deductions regarding effective support systems will be evaluated in a larger context of previous perceptions about this group of students. Questions we will deal with are (i) How do DHH students perceive participation? (ii) Which concepts of inclusion are revealed in their narratives? (iii) How can measures of inclusive communication on the structural administrative level and in teaching and studying change the current outcome? (iv) How can technical devices improve agency and inclusion? (v) How does that tie in with a concept of inclusive communication that encompasses all students? Inferences are drawn on possible discourse-related and action-analytical consequences with regard to support measures that make use of both technical devices and linguistic resources.
Further description:	Panel Inclusive Communication at University and Tertiary Education Level, June, 29, 2021
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/25467
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Not specified
Departement:	Applied Linguistics
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Language Competence (ILC)
Published as part of the ZHAW project:	Digitale Möglichkeiten der Inklusion an Hochschulen (DigOPIA)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Angewandte Linguistik

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Hohenstein, C., & Stemmer, P. (2021, June 29). Agency, participation, and inclusion of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Germany and Switzerland. 17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (Online), 27 June - 2 July 2021.

Hohenstein, C. and Stemmer, P. (2021) ‘Agency, participation, and inclusion of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Germany and Switzerland’, in 17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (online), 27 June - 2 July 2021.

C. Hohenstein and P. Stemmer, “Agency, participation, and inclusion of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Germany and Switzerland,” in 17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (online), 27 June - 2 July 2021, Jun. 2021.

HOHENSTEIN, Christiane und Petra STEMMER, 2021. Agency, participation, and inclusion of deaf and hearing-impaired students in Germany and Switzerland. In: 17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (online), 27 June - 2 July 2021. Conference paper. 29 Juni 2021

Hohenstein, Christiane, and Petra Stemmer. 2021. “Agency, Participation, and Inclusion of Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Students in Germany and Switzerland.” Conference paper. In 17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (Online), 27 June - 2 July 2021.

Hohenstein, Christiane, and Petra Stemmer. “Agency, Participation, and Inclusion of Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Students in Germany and Switzerland.” 17th International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), Winterthur (Online), 27 June - 2 July 2021, 2021.