LS026: Hearing impairment - classroom access protocol

Implementation steps

1. Confirm access plan including seating, devices, remote mic use, captions, and note support.
2. Standardise speech routines: face class, speak clearly, avoid talking while writing.
3. Use remote mic correctly including muting side talk and managing other speakers.
4. Provide key vocabulary and lesson structure in written form.
5. Check understanding through low-pressure written or visual-response methods.
6. Check room position, face visibility, and background noise before key instruction phases, not only at lesson start.
7. Plan how peer contributions will be repeated or summarised during discussion to preserve access.

Classroom routines

• Start with visible learning intention and key words.
• Pause during explanation and ask for one-sentence written summaries.
• Use clear turn-taking and repeat key student comments in discussion.
• Provide captions or transcripts for video/audio where possible.
• Provide a minimal teacher-notes route for missed auditory detail.
• Face the class and avoid moving around while giving key instructions.
• Repeat or rephrase important peer comments before building on them.
• Check understanding of new vocabulary and homework instructions in a low-pressure format.

Adaptation guidance

• Reduce background noise where possible for key explanations.
• Ensure face visibility for lip-reading support.
• Provide printed copies of complex instructions and questions.
• In group work, define roles and write key instructions.
• Coordinate routines with hearing specialist advice where available.
• Maintain normal conversational clarity rather than over-exaggerated speech, while preserving face visibility.
• Increase written support and captions in practical or noisy lessons where auditory access is less stable.
• Consider hearing fluctuations (for example, illness, congestion, fatigue) when access changes unexpectedly.

Staff language prompts

• I am going to say it, then you will see it on the board.
• Pause and write the key point in one sentence.
• Show me what you understood before you start.
• Tell me which key word matters most for this task.
• I will face you for this instruction, then I will write it down.
• I am repeating that comment so everyone can access it clearly.

Impact checks

• Improved task-start accuracy and completion.
• Reduced missed-instruction errors.
• Improved participation in classroom discussion.
• More independent starts after whole-class explanation.
• Track missed-information errors in discussion-heavy lessons before and after peer-comment repetition routines.
• Monitor whether understanding checks catch access breakdown earlier in noisy or practical lessons.