RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.

Below are some adjustments that you can make so as to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing students have improved access to examinations and assessments.

Good practice in timed examinations

  • Modified examination paper, rewritten in plain English, in a format more appropriate to deaf students’ needs.
  • Extra reading time as appropriate (25%-100%). Time allowance should be assessed by specialist adviser.
  • Interpreter to sign the questions in British Sign Language.
  • Separate room to facilitate the above.
  • Long essay type examination questions replaced by short answer questions - these may be accompanied by a viva in British Sign Language (interpreter present).
  • Oral examinations (on foreign language courses) replaced by written examinations.
  • Aural examinations (on foreign language courses) spoken by lipspeaker.
  • Unseen papers replaced by seen exam papers.
  • Surgery sessions available for students before exams to ensure clear understanding of assessment arrangements e.g. the role of the interpreter in exams.
  • Examination responses signed to video/transcribed by an interpreter.

Good practice in continuous course assessment

  • Individual course assessment strategy designed specifically to meet the student's needs whilst maintaining the standards required by the course.
  • Written dissertations replaced by more practical\visual projects.
  • Oral presentations replaced by signed presentations (interpreter present).

In some cases it may be more equitable and appropriate to change the method of assessment in order to meet the needs of the deaf student. For example, as more pre-lingual profoundly deaf students enter higher education, it may be more appropriate for them to be assessed in their first language, especially considering the fact that these students may have done previous external examinations using British Sign Language rather than English.