1. Being deaf
in a ‘hearing school’
THE
EDUCATIONAL
WELLBEING
OF
DEAF
PUPILS
AS
AN
INDICATOR
OF
EDUCATIONAL
QUALITY
OF
MAINSTREAMED
EDUCATION
Isabelle
Smessaert
Fevlado
(Flemish
Deaf
AssociaDon)

2. BELGIUM?
Iceland EUROPE BELGIUM
Flanders
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Russia Walloon
Ireland Region
Denmark
U.K.
The
Netherlands
BELGIUM
Poland
Belarus 10.5 million inhabitants
Germany
Lux.
Czech Rep.
Ukraine
France
Switzerland Austria
Slovakia 40% French-speaking
Hungary Walloon Sign Language
Italy
Romania 60% Dutch-speaking
Spain
Flemish Sign Language
0.5% German-speaking

3. What
is
good
educaDon
for
deaf
children?
INTRODUCTION
For many people: What = Where
Previously: ‘deaf school’
In the past decade: ‘hearing school’  school school
‘deaf school’  for the
deaf
for the
hearing
What
do
we
know
about
the
quality
of
‘hearing
schools’
for
deaf
youngsters?
In Flanders the quality of this setting had not been investigated until 2009!
Nevertheless: a lot of debating on the pros and cons of inclusive
education and mainstreaming
And: a decreasing possibility to really choose between the two settings

4. DEAF
PUPILS
(AGES
2.5-­‐25)
IN
HEARING
AND
DEAF
SCHOOLS
IN
FLANDERS
‘hearing school’ ©
G.F.A.
Lichtert
(2009)
‘deaf school’
Conclusion: more and more deaf pupils go to ‘hearing schools’
But: after 25 years …
we still don’t know anything about this educational setting!

5. EducaDonal
inspectorate:
guarantee
of
quality
EDUCATIONAL
INSPECTORATE:
QUALITY
MODEL
‘Hearing schools’ with the occasional deaf pupil = …? No information
Deaf pupils in secondary ‘hearing schools’: specific research
population West Flanders: N = 20
response: 50% (in West Flanders)
sample: N=12 (10 West Flanders + 2 East Flanders)
HOW?
Quality
model
of
the
educaDonal
inspectorate
CIPO model OUTPUT: educational results
COGNITIVE NON-COGNITIVE
academic educational
achievement wellbeing

6. What
determines
educaDonal
wellbeing?
WHAT
DETERMINES
EDUCATIONAL
WELLBEING?
What do deaf pupils consider to be essential to feeling
(more or less) good at a ‘hearing school’?

7. What
determines
educaDonal
wellbeing?
WHAT
DETERMINES
EDUCATIONAL
WELLBEING?
1. Contact with other deaf pupils at school
communication
kinship
2. The interpreter
indirect influence: accessibility
direct influence: social, emotional, statutory regulations
3. Participation and accessibility
3 situations in class:
a) there is an interpreter
b) there is no interpreter, but the teacher uses ‘strategies’
c) there is no interpreter, the deaf pupil has to organize his own education
4. To be excluded / bullied
11 of the 12 respondents have been bullied at their hearing school
Why? being different
being vulnerable
How? fysically
handicap-related
exclusion / coldshouldering

8. What
determines
educaDonal
wellbeing?
WHAT
DETERMINES
EDUCATIONAL
WELLBEING?
5. Contact with the hearing environment
UNFAMILIARITY
COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
superficial
profound
BEING DIFFERENT
hearing
youngsters
deaf
youngsters hearing
teachers
other deaf
youngsters
investment
investment
Crucial RECIPROCITY Crucial
EQUALITY
BALANCE Smessaert, I.

9. What
determines
educaDonal
wellbeing?
WHAT
DETERMINES
EDUCATIONAL
WELLBEING?
6. Interest in the curriculum
choice of subjects
level of education
7. Help and educational assistance
itinerant teacher of the deaf
classmates
interpreter
(regular) teachers
8. Motivation
effort + marks + presence of deaf peer group
9. Expertise and adaptability of the school
1 hearing school stands out

10. WHAT
IS
THE
DEGREE
OF
WELLBEING?
What
is
the
degree
of
wellbeing?
Together the 9 factors paint a gloomy picture:
(very) low degree of wellbeing, caused by
- the loneliness, the lack of social contacts
- the inaccessibility of the curriculum
- the 3 barriers between the deaf pupils and the hearing surroundings
- the vulnerable, dependant, incomplete and defective position
in most cases there is no question of integration
in most cases there is no question of ‘education’
Conclusion: mismatch between deaf pupils & ‘hearing school’
Fundamental are COMMUNICATION & KINSHIP
A positive point:
1 ‘hearing school’ scores much better

11. Why
do
you
go
to
a
‘hearing
school’?
WHY
DO
YOU
GO
TO
A
‘HEARING
SCHOOL’?
1. Diploma
‘Deaf schools’ cannot issue diplomas = there is no choice
2. Educational level
The level is higher than that of the ‘deaf schools’
3. Subjects
There is more choice in subjects than in the ‘deaf schools’
4. Too few pupils at the deaf schools
Classes cannot be formed: no choice: ‘hearing school’
5. ‘Deaf schools’: signing ability and attitude towards
being-deaf is not as desired
Teachers in ‘deaf schools’ can hardly sign
Often their attitude is paternalistic and their expectations are low
There is no real choice between a ‘deaf’ and a ‘hearing school’.

12. Your
ideal
school,
what
would
it
look
like?
THEIR
IDEAL
SCHOOL?
“Imagine, I can work miracles, I have plenty of money and
can realize your ideal school. What would it look like?”
They talk about
- the pupils
- deaf + hearing (n=7): for practical reasons, mostly
- only deaf (n=5)
- only hearing (n=0!) = COMMUNICATION
- the teachers & KINSHIP
They simply cannot imagine deaf teachers!
Communication must be good.
They dream about 1 big ‘deaf school’.
They don’t talk about
teaching-styles, regulations, curriculum, infrastructure

13. CONTACT
Contact
For more details, please ask me personally or e-mail at
ismessaert@home.nl