Original Research

Students with hearing impairment at a South African university: Self-identity and disclosure

Diane Bell, Arend Carl, Estelle Swart
African Journal of Disability | Vol 5, No 1 | a229 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v5i1.229 | © 2016 Diane Bell, Arend Carl, Estelle Swart | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 28 September 2015 | Published: 22 September 2016

About the author(s)

Diane Bell, School of Business, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Arend Carl, Faculty of Education, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
Estelle Swart, Faculty of Education, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Abstract

Background: A growing number of students with hearing loss are being granted access to higher education in South Africa due to the adoption of inclusive educational policies. However, available statistics indicate that participation by students with hearing impairments in higher education remains low and research suggests that support provisioning for those who do gain access is inadequate.
Objectives:  This article aims to illustrate that the assumed self-identity of students with hearing impairment influences their choice to disclose their disability. The choice not to disclose their hearing loss prevents them from accessing the necessary reasonable accommodations and this in turn may affect their eventual educational success.
Method: Reported here is a qualitative descriptive case study at a South African university. Purposive sampling methods were employed. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with seven students with hearing impairment ranging from moderate to profound, using spoken language. Constructivist grounded theory was used as an approach to the process of generating and transforming the data, as well as the construction of theory.
Findings: All the student participants identified as having a hearing rather than a D/deaf identity cultural paradigm and viewed themselves as ‘normal’. Linked to this was their unwillingness to disclose their hearing impairment and thus access support.
Conclusion: It is crucially important for academic, support and administrative staff to be aware of both the assumed ‘hearing’ identity and therefore subsequent non-disclosure practices of students with a hearing impairment using the oral method of communication. Universities need to put measures in place to encourage students to voluntarily disclose their hearing impairment in order to provide more targeted teaching and learning support. This could lead to improved educational outcomes for students.

Keywords

hearing impaired; deaf; Deaf; inclusive education; higher education; university; self-identity; disclosure

Metrics

Total abstract views: 7964
Total article views: 13364

 

Crossref Citations

1. Understanding identity construction among deaf adolescents and young adults: implications for the delivery of person and family-centered care in audiological rehabilitation
Vera-Genevey Hlayisi, Lieketseng Victoria Sekoto
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences  vol: 4  year: 2023  
doi: 10.3389/fresc.2023.1228116

2. Provision of Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities in South African Higher Education
Sibonokuhle Ndlovu
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health  vol: 18  issue: 8  first page: 3892  year: 2021  
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18083892

3. The experience of hearing loss in adult survivors of childhood and young adult cancer: A qualitative study
Amber Khan, Nidha Mubdi, Amy Budnick, Darren R. Feldman, Sharon W. Williams, Seema Patel, Emily S. Tonorezos
Cancer  vol: 126  issue: 8  first page: 1776  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1002/cncr.32698

4. The Protection and Enforcement of Disability Rights in South Africa: Challenges and Prospects
Tshimangadzo Donald Mukwevho, Rorisang Matlala
Journal of Law, Society and Development  vol: 11  year: 2024  
doi: 10.25159/2520-9515/15866

5. Feeling valued: the interplay of assistive technology and identity
Aoife McNicholl, Deirdre Desmond, Pamela Gallagher
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology  vol: 19  issue: 7  first page: 2580  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1080/17483107.2023.2294987

6. Nothing for us without us: Student-identified approaches that can support the inclusion of deaf students in South African secondary schools
Iliana Skrebneva, Loraine Fordham
Deafness & Education International  first page: 1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1080/14643154.2024.2336943

7. A study on the trauma narratives in online discourse of the Chinese hearing-impaired community
Kaihang Zhao, Lili Wang, Meng Yuan
Journal of World Languages  vol: 11  issue: 2  first page: 454  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1515/jwl-2024-0071

8. Integration experiences of student and qualified nurses with disabilities who graduated from selected KwaZulu-Natal nursing education institutions: An exploratory case study
Selvarani Moodley, Gugu Mchunu
Curationis  vol: 41  issue: 1  year: 2018  
doi: 10.4102/curationis.v41i1.1862

9. Accessibility of South African university websites
Silas Formunyuy Verkijika, Lizette De Wet
Universal Access in the Information Society  vol: 19  issue: 1  first page: 201  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1007/s10209-018-0632-6

10. Adjustment to the learning environment among university students who are deaf or hard of hearing
Kayla Percival, Mahanoor Ahmed, Nasim B. Khan
South African Journal of Communication Disorders  vol: 72  issue: 1  year: 2025  
doi: 10.4102/sajcd.v72i1.1114

11. Identity construction among deaf adolescents and young adults: A literature review
Lieketseng V. Sekoto, Vera-Genevey Hlayisi
African Journal of Disability  vol: 12  year: 2023  
doi: 10.4102/ajod.v12i0.1168

12. Their Hands Communicate and Their Eyes Listen: Perceptions of Small Group Messages Amongst Deaf College Basketball Players
Andrew Dix
Communication & Sport  vol: 9  issue: 6  first page: 972  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1177/2167479520913076

13. The Management Gaps toward Inclusive Education Implementation at Higher Education in Indonesia
Fina Riswari, Fiolina Hana Puspitasari, Neny Yuniarti, Silvana Rahma Iswahyudi, Asep Sunandar, Ediyanto Ediyanto, Ahsan Romadlon Junaidi
IJDS Indonesian Journal of Disability Studies  vol: 9  issue: 01  first page: 153  year: 2022  
doi: 10.21776/ub.ijds.2022.009.01.12

14. Inclusion of learners with mild hearing impairments: Teachers’ views on their language, social and academic development
Gaone Molapisi, Nareadi Phasha
South African Journal of Education  vol: 44  issue: Supplement 1  first page: S1  year: 2024  
doi: 10.15700/saje.v44ns1a2503

15. Increasing Participation in Education of Deaf Learners in South Africa and Zimbabwe
Patrick Sibanda, Lloyd D. N. Tlale
International Journal of Educational Development in Africa  vol: 10  year: 2025  
doi: 10.25159/2312-3540/17217

16. Assistive technologies, educational engagement and psychosocial outcomes among students with disabilities in higher education
Aoife McNicholl, Deirdre Desmond, Pamela Gallagher
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology  vol: 18  issue: 1  first page: 50  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/17483107.2020.1854874

17. Perceived stigma and self-identity among hearing impaired students: A brief report
Jianhong Zheng, Ming Hong, Sufeng Zhang, Dmitry Grigoryevich Dzyakov
Journal of Psychology in Africa  vol: 32  issue: 3  first page: 294  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1080/14330237.2022.2075625