Case Study: Accessibility of Deaf Education in the Mainstream

Certificate Program of Hospitality Management Tertiary

Educational Institution in Manila

Abstract
 5 distinct themes: 
1. Meeting deaf needs
2. Inclusivity 
3. Achieving academic goals
4. Program enhancement
5. Level or understanding 

Introduction 
 Purpose and origin of Filipino Sign Language 
Magna Carta for Disabled Persons or RA 7277 (ensures deaf people gets quality
education)
Deaf Education by Insular School for Deaf and Blind or Philippine School for the Deaf
(1907)
 Deaf people’s opportunities after secondary education is crucial and constrained. 
 Deaf Program of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLSCSB) (1991), short course to full-
pledged degree program in 2000 and their School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies
(SDEAS) college degree in Bachelor in Applied Deaf Studies (BAPDST) with two tracks:
Multimedia Arts and Business Entrepreneurship. They are challenged with inclusion of deaf
students to other programs.
 8000 deaf students enrolled in DLSCSB in 2005, 128 deaf students enrolled in SDEAS, 90
percent subsidized by the college. Majority were female and from poorer sector of the
society. 
 School of Hotel and Restaurant and Institution Management (SHRIM) opens their
department to deaf students in their certificate program. Faculty members and staffs are
trained such as deaf awareness program, acquisition of expressive and receptive skills if
FSL levels 1 to 3 and experiential learning through workshops and seminars abroad. 
 SHRIM - Center for Educational Access and Development (CEAD) partnership, Certificate
and Food and Beverage Service (CFBS) offers DLSCSB to be mainstreamed to further
develop service skills and confidence under current and global F&B practices. Preparations
for accommodation and academic were made such as interpreting services, facilities
conducive for deaf and hearing learners such as computer laboratory, library, audio visual
services, instructional materials and service laboratories, on-the-job training, advising, and
full scholarship program. 
 Aims: To determine the challenges experienced by Deaf and Hard Hearing students on
support services and teaching methodologies used by the faculty members in the
certificate program of DLSCSB SHRIM.

Significance of the Study

1. Findings will have a considerable impact in the implementation of policy, administration and
research. 
2. Will provide valuable information for teachers who are directly involved with deaf or hard of
hearing students. 

Review of Related Literature 

 Legal aspect
  Despite legislations being implemented for the protection and inclusivity of deaf
people in post-secondary education, very few are enjoying such rights. 
 Bill No. 2188 declares Filipino Sign Language Act of 2014 as national language of
the Filipino Deaf and the official language of government in all transactions involving
deaf and mandating its use in school, broadcast media and workplaces. 
 Article V, Sec. 1.4.1 of 1997 Policies and Guidelines in Special Education (SPED):
FSL will be utilized for the education of the deaf 
 DepEd Order 74 Series of 2009: mandates the use of the learner’s first language as
the primary medium of instruction and literacy
 Magna Carta for Disabled Persons (RA 7277): deaf people ensure adequate access
to a quality education. 
 Philippine School for Deaf has only limited private and government institutions
mainstreaming deaf students in various programs in the country, creating a big
challenge of accessibility of higher education for deaf people. 
 Methods of teaching
 Teachers of Deaf
Shall provide quality teaching to mainstream deaf learners equipped with
qualification and expertise in teaching deaf learners. 
Requires student-focused to ensure quality of facilitating learning.
Integrate collaboration and coaching approaches.
Be knowledgeable about the listening and instructional technologies that will
optimize the outcomes for a person with hearing loss.
Cognitive processes must be utilized because it helps them learn, thus,
oralist, auditory and signing methods are used as the foundation of deaf
education. 
 Oralist and auditory methods
 Ways of mainstreaming the deaf students: auditory and oral methods of teaching to
help deaf individuals speak and lip read with the help of hearing aid as their mode of
communication rather than signing. 
 Purpose: Promote academic and social inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing
students in the mainstream education. 
 Focus: Speaking and proper linguistic of English on how to speak the words and
accuracy of grammatical sentences.
 Results: Easier support mechanism in accomplishing the skills of speech by not
relying on signing at all. 
 Signing
 Problem: Reading difficulties that deaf students experiencing was most likely related
to delays in the acquisition of the spoken language.
 Solution: Signing contributes to the success of student’s English skills. 
 Basis: Signing as a tool for reading and understanding text wherein it helped the
students gain concept and associate the written text with the sign representing the
word. After learning the sign, the students will learn the spoken form. However, the
spoken form does not yet have the meaning for the deaf students. Thus, they will
now relate the concept back to both the written text as the spoken word. If concept
was now acknowledged, students will now be able to associate the spoken word to
the written word and vice versa. This resulted to students having an acceptable level
of vocabulary understanding. 
 Teachers of Deaf
Deaf students preferred a teacher who is capable to sign and understand
deafness and deaf culture. 
Needs to be engaging and use participative learning style correlated to their
academic achievement 
 Provide clear explanation, visual materials, and good rapport through friendly
and caring attitude
Expected that they should be highly skilled and proficient in sign language as
a medium of instruction so that deaf students will be able to engage and
adopt the inclusive environment.
 Access to support services 
 Problem: 
Mutual access to basic communication services which includes good
amplification, tutoring, real time captioning, interpreting. 
Classrooms are complex social environments where interaction with teacher
and hearing peers can be challenging for deaf students in terms of accessing
support services. 
Deaf students were more concerned about pace of instructions and did not
feel as much a part of the university family as did their hearing peers despite
some modifications.
In the Philippines, communication topped as problem despite of teacher’s
knowledge in FSL because of poor facilities and classroom and need of
upgrade for sign language skills for better understanding.
 Support services as a contributing factor to their academic success in the post-
secondary education wherein the most common are tutoring, notetaking, interpreting,
real-time captioning and academic advising. 
 Technological support causes little communication between deaf students and the
teacher. 
 Support services may vary on the deaf student’s need, such as: 
Professional tutor is more highly regarded than peer tutor wherein a tutor
must be a good communicator, shows empathy, good teaching skills and
mastery in the subject matter. 
Interpreting is most often provided support services and highly regarded as
helpful communication tool in the mainstream classroom environment.
 Interpreters may provide incoherent messages or translated the teacher’s messages
with omissions resulting to confusion or not understandable in the interpreted
version. 
 However, deaf students regard classrooms communication and engagement in a
similar manner as their hearing peers. 
 Responsible for success and failure of the students. 
 Education in mainstream setting comforts the deaf students that they are not lagging
and there are options or communication alternatives that can be effective and give
access and support to help them succeed academically.

Methodology
 Participants: 8 students who successfully passed the scholarship program and identified as
deaf or hard of hearing endorsed by the CEAD to enroll in the Certificate Program or
potential study participants. (4 females and 4 males age ranging from 26-36 years old,
utilizing FSL as their primary modality of communication)
 Instruments: Focus group discussion 
Enables the study to provide insights into multiple opinions among deaf participants
Moderator’s guide will be used on what questions will be asked so that the
researchers will be able to get relevant information from the participants. 
 Researchers creates questions that relates to the purpose of the study which
should be open-ended so the participants can provide more in-depth
responses. 
Data Collection
 Two interpreters were provided by DLSCSB
 The interpreters were seated beside the participants to engage in conversation and clarify
some issues in the focus group discussion
 Prior to the FGD, researchers developed a moderator’s guide which will be the basis of the
11 questions to be used in the discussion:
1. Background (personal and family)
2. Information 
3. Goals
4. Classroom interaction 
5. Personal challenges 
6. Teacher’s teaching style
7. Views on the program
8. Current support system that were accessible and available (central focus)
 Followed step by step procedures:
1. Assurance to study participants by informing about the research study and interview
in their most convenient time for the purpose of the program development that will be
beneficial for the upcoming undertakings of SHRIM certificate program. 
2. Were interviewed within 3-month duration of program 
3. FGD was scheduled at the end of the lecture and laboratory series
4. Explained the purpose of the study to the participants; that there in no right and
wrong answers and were advised to speak one moment at a time. 
5. Informed the participants that this will be recorded for documentation processes by
using videotape and cassette tape for recording the voice of the interpreter in
consideration to the language differences between the deaf or hard of hearing and
researchers which is utilized as a way of checking and validating the accuracy of
information during transcription process and the translated version from English and
Filipino Sign Language vice versa.
6. They utilized interpreter as a facilitator of communication during FGD sessions and
took notes about the exchanges of communication in comparison with the
transcription that were generated from the recorded voice and video. They were
committed to ethical research practices and provided confidentiality and more
comfortable setting.
7. FGD was held in a secure and comfortable classroom of DLSCSB of HRIM where
seats were arranged in a circle to maintain good eye contact and establish good
rapport.
8. It took two hours to finish the discussion. 
 Researchers have knowledge in FSL but were not as fluent as interpreter and underwent
FSL and completed levels 1-3 training and attended various seminars on Deaf cultures
locally and abroad. 

Data Analysis 
 Analyzes using the data coding scheme wherein the process includes the creation of
storyline that will be used as a draft to identify possible codes. 
 Identified and wrote the words or phrases frequently used and ideas from the participants
wherein it will be organized into codes or categories. 
 Thorough evaluation was done and required the attendance of the interpreters to review the
video recorded for accuracy and validation of information.
 Started the coding process where the researchers marked the documents and analyzed the
messages. 
  Initial codes emerged more than 57 codes and the 57 codes were then included in a notes or
list of codes and evaluated and compared to one another as well as defined on what they
mean. 
 Since there are too many codes, the researchers refined and categorized into 9 units which
are again carefully reviewed, analyzed and compared the data to data for meaning to
represent its code and then created a theme.
 Finally, 5 distinct themes were emerged from the data. 

Results and Discussion

 Themes
Meeting deaf needs (2 units)
 Reinforcement of support services such as: 
 Interpreting and captioning, notetaker 
 Replacement of their interpreter since they were bored already
 Need of captioning service and notetaker wherein it must be
complete.
 OJT feedbacking to fill the gap
 Needs to be fully equipped before an actual hotel immersion and
employment takes place. 
 Access in borrowing books
 They should allow to let them borrow books even in shorter period to
enable them to study and review their notes and assignment ahead
of time. 
 Teacher quality
 Should enhance further their FSL skills because that is the only way
they can directly communicate. 
 They were satisfied if the teachers appropriately answers their
questions and provided essential tips however they suggested that
the teachers need to explain the lesson a bit slower. 
 Support must be extended for them to develop creativity as they are
compelled to research and present their ideas in various activities. 
Inclusivity (3 units)
 Access to information and communication 
 Preferred to be mainstreamed with hearing peers in order for them to
experience interacting with them and let them understand the world
they live in. 
 That there will be cooperation, patience, and practice give and take
between hearing peers and them.
 They are willing to teach hearing peers the sign language so they
would be less hesitant to talk to the deaf if they have established
certain level of proficiency in FSL
 Social networking is helpful in accessing up to date information about
the program 
 The hearing should know the deaf culture for easy access.
 Deaf students should be well represented in any student
organization 
 Mainstreaming of both hearing and deaf peers because they are
parts of the community and shares ideas to one another.
 Strongly believes that the deaf are equal to the hearing peers
 Deaf awareness (6 codes)
 Nice set-up
 Wow reaction 
  FSL in campus
 Respect for deaf 
 Feeling welcome 
 Happy community 
 Unbelongingness in the program
 Deaf people are sensitive people
 Certain facial expressions can give them the wrong signal leading to
misinterpretation. 
Program enhancement (1 code)
 In connection to program service and delivery towards fulfilling their
academic goals 
 Methods of teaching
 Presence of interpreter during hands-on and lecture session have
been proven helpful in the classroom. 
 Issue: Terms used in F&B are difficult to explain since there were no
available signs that represent each term. 
 Solution: Continuous improvement of the program, teachers should
give more time to explain the topics and if possible, use FSL, extend
the program and time to focus on one topic because they were not
used to multitasking compared with hearing peers.
 Coaching and tutoring will be used so that deaf peers will not be
lagged behind hearing peers. 
 More hands-on activities should be given importance in the program,
like one-one-one teaching approach and coaching
 Hand-outs should be provided prior to lecture and laboratory session
allowing them more time to read and understand the lesson
 Having smaller groups to help them work easily
 Longer program duration to help them learn more.
Level of understanding 
 Problem: Difficulty of understanding teaching materials such as hand-outs
 Solution: Pairing of deaf to hearing peers to work together and develop
confidence and improve themselves through shared concept and ideas.
 Problem: Use of deep words because they are not well versed and F&B
terminologies and concepts are not well absorbed.
 Problem: Context of book vs actual demonstration by the teacher wherein
teachers sometimes deviate within the context of the book
 Solution: Teachers should try to follow the step by step procedures and
should replicate the handouts during demonstration.
Achieving academic goal (3 units)
 Personal development
 Self-development is a way of allowing them to grow as a person that
will give positive significance in their lives. 
 Confidence was developed because of what they have learned
throughout the course. 
 Capabilities and roles were strengths that they developed because
they were able to showcase them in various school activities and
hotel immersions. 
 Well understanding of methods because of exposure and assistance
of hearing staff.
 Classroom experiences and interaction were areas that indicated
positive results towards personal development. 
 Positive interaction 
  They pinpointed that they need to move fast their fears and learn how
to interact with hearing peers. 
 Hearing peers became their friends and developed certain level of
understanding in the context of inclusivity.
 School learning experience towards the employment opportunity 
 Life changing experience and provided them with more interesting
topics and discussion. 
 They learned so much in the course and developed skills in F&B
 They revealed at they are at par with hearing peers 
 Quoted that their achievements in the certificate program will give
them the chance of possible employment. 

Conclusion
 They gave emphasis on deaf access in different areas that will need to enhance such as
support services and teaching styles. 
 There were challenges faced by the deaf students in relation to their personal and academic
requirement in inclusive setting: program enhancement, deaf needs, inclusivity, level of
understanding and achieving academic goals.
 There were only fee enhancements in the support system such as inclusion of captioning,
notetaking, reviewing library policy, FAL fluency of the teachers and strengthening deaf
campaign. 
 Difficulty in understanding was a big challenge in the inclusive environment.
 Communication as major problem wherein English Language, which is the medium of
instruction, is difficult and were not able to fully comprehend the F&B service. There were no
appropriate signs to correspond to the terms.
 Researchers suggest of creating materials with appropriate English or Filipino signs that will
represent F&B terms for easy understanding. 
 Intervention programs such as coaching and tutoring at an early stage of the course should
be given priority to improve communication skills among deaf and hard of hearing students. 
 Intensive reinforcement of support system such as language development in FSL, English
language and deaf appropriate-instructional materials should be provided in the
implementation of the program.

Limitation
 The study will not explore on the learning outcomes of the deaf students enrolled in the
certificate program. 
 The number of the students enrolled as well as their backhand if they have fulfilled personal
and academic goals.
 Utilization of the interpreter a facilitator of communication between the researchers and study
participants during FGD.

Implication and Recommendation

 Aimed to describe and evaluate the accessibility of deaf students in support services and
methods used in mainstreaming environment.
 Support of academic environment such as educators, and administrators is critical to the
educational process. 
 Provide an opportunity for potential deaf applicants to really understand the implications of
the program before enrolling the program.