How I Ensure Equity
In my second semester as an EMT Instructor, a Signer was brought into my course to teach a hearing-impaired student. While this sufficed, it was not ideal. I exaggerated my body language. I included more Terms and sentences on the PowerPoints,
During the third week, I asked to see the student and the interpreter after class. I explained what I had been doing to facilitate learning and then asked her if this had been effective. She thought that I had over-corrected. She explained that she effectively could read lips, and beyond looking in her direction when speaking, the rigmarole of pantomime wasn’t necessary.
Now, I politely cut to the chase: learn specific needs early, establish a dialogue, check back regularly to ensure I’m still effective and they’re on track, and periodically check if they’d like additional student assistance.
In the field, my patients are my top priority; here, my students are first. To succeed in the course, some students need support outside of the classroom. With little extra effort and attention, many students exponentially flourish.
