Barrier-Free Virtual Education for Hearing-Impaired Students

Published Paper PDF: View PDF

Deepak Chatterjee

Independent Researcher

West Bengal, India

Abstract

Virtual education has soared in prominence, offering flexible, scalable learning opportunities. Yet for hearing‑impaired students, myriad barriers—from inaccessible audio content to poorly designed interaction modalities—undermine equitable participation. This study develops and evaluates a barrier‑free virtual education framework tailored specifically to secondary‑level hearing‑impaired learners. Integrating high‑accuracy captioning, real‑time sign‑language interpretation, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and comprehensive instructor training, the intervention was deployed across three schools serving 120 students. Employing a mixed‑methods design, quantitative outcomes (course completion, assessment scores, engagement metrics) were compared to the previous academic year, while qualitative insights were gathered via focus groups and instructor interviews. Results demonstrate a substantial increase in course completion (74% → 92%), average exam scores (68.4 → 81.7), and student engagement (forum posts +45%, live attendance +25%). Thematic analysis reveals enhanced comprehension, confidence, and community, alongside technical challenges related to caption latency and interpreter coordination. Educational implications include policy mandates for universal accessibility, investment in assistive technologies, embedded UDL curriculum design, and ongoing professional development. This comprehensive evaluation underscores that barrier‑free virtual education is not only feasible but essential for closing the equity gap in remote learning, and provides a scalable model for institutions worldwide.

Keywords

Barrier-Free, Virtual Education, Hearing-Impaired, Accessibility, Inclusive Pedagogy

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