RICHARD LADNER: Thank you, Brianna.
So we're being recorded because this presentation, question
and answer session will be for posterity, so other people can
see it in the future.
Not everybody can come at this hour.
So I'm Richard Ladner, a professor emeritus
at the University of Washington in Seattle.
And I run the AccessCSforAll program.
And I want to welcome you to our second in a series of four.
This is Accessible Computer Science for deaf and hard
of hearing.
We have two more coming up.
One on teaching students with learning disabilities, and one
teaching neurodiverse students.
So you can look forward to those as well.
And some of you might have come a couple of weeks
ago when we had a blind and visually impaired.
So we're really fortunate today to have an experienced teacher
of deaf students-- deaf and hard of hearing students, Beth
Kimball.
She teaches at the Indiana School for the Deaf.
And an interesting story.
When my mother graduated from Gallaudet University
around 1932 or so-- no, 1936.
Her first job was teaching at the Indiana
School for the Deaf.
And then shortly thereafter, that year, my father
wrote her a note.
Actually, there was a whole series of letters
that they corresponded, and he proposed to her.
And eventually, he came back and brought her back
to California, where I grew up.
Anyway, I don't want to prolong this.
And Beth, please go ahead.
BETH KIMBALL: This evening, we'll
be talking about how to make computer
science accessible for deaf students
and hard of hearing students, or language deprived
students or students who may have some type of hearing loss.
I'd like to introduce myself first.
My name is Beth Kimball, and this is my sign name.
It's an R across my head.
I teach middle school STEM classes
at Indiana School for the Deaf--
Also known as ISD.
I can teach computer science, math, science,
a whole host of other classes.
Typically, classes that other teachers
are not interested in teaching or are nervous about teaching.
I take over those courses.
I have taught computer science to middle school
and high school students for the last eight, almost nine years.
It said six, but prior to that, I had other experiences.
So really, close to nine years.
My major was in biology and deaf education
and outdoor experiential education and engineering.
So I graduated two years ago with a PhD
in environmental engineering.
But now, I have been enjoying teaching middle school.
And it's that awkward age level.
And I'm going to continue doing that at this time.
My passion is being involved in my hobbies,
such as reading, working on bicycle's and my two dogs.
Yeah, two very small dogs.
I started computer science teaching, really, accidentally.
I was teaching science, and someone asked me
about signing up for a workshop.
So in my head, it was like, really,
you want me to teach computer science?
I tried to tell this person, you realize that my background,
I grew up without electricity, without computers?
And they were like, oh, no, no, no.
You're so intelligent.
I know you can handle it.
And so I just did it on a whim.
It was for free professional development.
So I went and really enjoyed interacting with others
and learned a lot and realized that computer science is not
actually about the computer, the mechanism itself.
It's more about playing around, making mistakes, and learning.
And that is really the piece that I enjoy.
I do like teaching computer science, actually, better
than the other [AUDIO OUT] classes I teach.
But I'm not going to tell my principal that.
[LAUGHTER]
I lost my hearing around age 24.
Currently, I do use ASL all day long in my work environment
and in my life.
And I do also use English in other parts of my life as well.
So I do use one or the other.
However, I don't use simultaneous communication.
I choose a language to use, whether it
be sign language in the moment or English in the moment.
I want to emphasize for those of you that may have,
currently, a deaf or hard of hearing student
in the classroom or may at some time
in the future, what these individuals' identities may
look like.
If they are part of the Deaf community,
they consider themselves Deaf and they use it
as a proper noun with a capital D as part of the community.
That is an identity.
And they are proud of that identity.
If the person has a hearing loss and they're
viewing it from a medical perspective,
and just in terms of their loss of hearing
and not regarding their use of the language of ASL,
then it is a common noun with a lowercase D--
deaf.
And for your students, it will all
depend on their background, where they come from,
what their identity is, whether or not
they use that as a proper noun or a common noun.
RICHARD LADNER: Beth, this is Richard.
I wanted to ask you, could you explain what ASL?
You mentioned ASL.
Some people might not know what that is.
BETH KIMBALL: Oh, I apologize.
Yes, ASL is American Sign Language.
It is the standard language of communication for the Deaf
community in America.
It is a full language with its own grammar, its own syntax,
and it does include cultural aspects.
And I want to be clear, it's not a mode of communication,
but it is a language.
It's called ASL.
My primary language, currently, is English,
but really ASL is my primary language.
You may have seen different causes of deafness.
It can be biologically cause, medical.
There are different views.
There are over 250 different causes of deafness.
Some of those are congenital, it's in the DNA.
It could be from connexin 26, which
is a particular chromosome defect that
is missing a particular gene.
And that is very common to be a cause of deafness.
It could also be--
that could be the--
there could be other primary issues,
such as CHARGE syndrome.
That comes with height issues, heart issues, physical defects,
but it also does cause deafness.
It could be a premature birth.
And if a baby is born sometime around 24 weeks,
they often have a hearing loss of some sort.
Or it could also be related to a maternal illness.
The mother may have had a high fever
before the child was born.
Or it could even be they lose their hearing later in life
due to an illness as a child, as a teenager.
An extremely high fever can cause hearing loss as well.
Or it could be that an individual
is born with some vision issues and later loses
their hearing, which is typically related
to having Usher syndrome.
But there are a whole host of reasons
that someone could be deaf.
Very similar to other special needs.
So if you know one deaf person, you
have to realize that you only know one deaf person
and what their life is like.
That does not apply to all deaf students.
So not every one deaf student is the same as any other.
For our demographics in America, we have about 76,000
deaf or deaf/blind students who receive services
under IDEA, which is the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act.
That's from the year 2018 to 2019.
There is not current data from 2019, 2020, and on.
But at that time, 76,000 children
were identified to be receiving some type of service
for some type of hearing loss.
And this is those that have their primary disability
as being deaf or deaf/blind.
So if their primary disability is autism,
and they have a secondary disability of being deaf,
those students are not considered
in that number of 76,000.
A huge percentage of our deaf and hard of hearing students
are attending the public schools.
They are mainstreamed.
They do not come to a Deaf school.
90% of our students are mainstreamed
into the public school classroom.
In bigger cities, there may be a few more deaf students
in those Deaf programs.
They may actually have a Deaf program
versus a student being all alone in the classroom
as the only deaf student.
But typically, there is one deaf student or one deaf
or hard of hearing student mainstreamed
into their public school program if a larger
number of those students all being hearing.
So if you have any questions about the percentages
or other disabilities that are out there,
there is a link that's been provided.
You can see here on the slide.
But specifically, deaf and hard of hearing students,
it is 76,000, which is 90% of those students.
Also, 90%-- that 90% I was referring to of those
students-- do have parents that can hear.
So these hearing parents have a baby
and they have this deaf child, and often they
don't know what to do, so how they
interact, how they communicate with their children.
They may get a cochlear implant for their child.
They may get hearing aids for their child.
They may do speech therapy.
They may use sign language.
They may put their child in a Deaf school.
It is quite individualized, and it's a family decision.
And they base that on what's best for their child,
for their family, whether or not that--
whatever works.
Because 90% of our deaf and hard of hearing students do
have hearing parents.
Automatically, there is a disconnect
between the cultures.
When a deaf child is born, they have a different identity
or just that feeling of otherness-- difference
from their parents.
A hearing child picks up language
watching TV, talking on the phone.
A deaf child does not have that same experience.
And they can be easily isolated.
So parents have to decide, are they going to learn ASL?
Are they going to practice that in the home?
Are they going to focus on speech?
Will they use both sign language and speech?
Will they get their child a cochlear implant
through surgical procedure or use hearing aids?
It varies.
What we see and consider as the best decision
may not be possible.
Remember, the parents view this child--
that they have this child.
And when you think about them learning
a new language such as ASL, picking up that language
while working full time, taking care of their children,
it's a big adjustment and a big challenge to face as a family.
So we can't judge parents based on what they
choose to do for their child.
It's their decision and we have to trust that they know best.
As I mentioned before, it's not unusual.
It is not rare for there to be just one
deaf child in the whole school.
Completely alone.
Potentially, even kindergarten through 12th grade,
there may only be one deaf child.
And there may have never been a deaf child in that school
until maybe up to 10th grade.
That's just the way it goes.
Or it may be that a child transfers
in from another school or a family moves,
and it may even be that a child has a recent diagnosis.
They haven't even been previously diagnosed.
And it may seem as if they're getting by.
It may seem that they can here.
And they may really start to struggle as the class gets
more challenging.
It is easy for children to fake it,
especially in elementary school.
They can get by trying to rely on as much as they can hear,
and following others.
And they can wing it.
But by the time they get into middle school,
it becomes much more challenging.
They may have reading delays.
They may start missing out on information.
They may be embarrassed by that.
They may not want to ask for someone to repeat information.
And so they start to push it aside.
And that's where the schools may find
that a child is struggling.
And they may do some testing and determine that they
fit in another classroom.
Often, deaf kids in the public school
will have pull-out services for speech.
They may have OT, PT.
There's a variety of services they
may benefit from because deaf children need language access,
they need to get up and they need that additional practice.
They may be a bit behind in the public schools,
but some may not be behind.
So it just varies from student to student.
Just individually based.
Before I delve into computer science,
I do want to talk a bit about the deaf experience
in the public school.
A deaf student is in the classroom
and you have to understand that there's
all this auditory information being given by the students,
by the teacher in the front of the classroom.
That student will not have access to all of that.
They may feel disconnected from the other students
in the classroom, they may feel isolated,
they may even feel some anxiety, some paranoia because they
don't know what people are saying,
what they're talking about.
They'll be missing information.
A common experience for s deaf student
can be that they feel that their teacher doesn't like them
or hates them.
They're often exhausted.
They don't want to wear the FM system because the teacher
doesn't want to do that-- doesn't want to make those
accommodations for their needs--
that the teacher doesn't want to give them additional support
or doesn't want to interact with the interpreter.
They also often feel that the teacher doesn't know how
to use the closed captioning.
These are all feelings of the students in middle school
and high school.
So they honestly do sometimes have that feeling
that the teacher hates them, and that's
only because the teacher may be exhausted or confused
that that's their perspective.
That's their experience in the public school.
Funny story that I have seen from a lot of students.
In public school when they wear the FM systems--
which, I'll talk a bit more about the technology later--
but basically, an FM system is basically direct Bluetooth
to the students hearing aid.
And the teacher wears a microphone
and it goes directly into their hearing aid
as if they are right nearby.
Regardless of where the teacher is standing.
What happens, often, is the teacher
will forget to turn off the FM system after teaching.
And we'll head to the restroom or go to the teacher's lounge
or maybe go see the secretary in the secretary's office,
and yet that's still close enough to that Bluetooth
connection that that student can overhear the teacher
in the restroom using the bathroom, having conversations
with teachers in the teacher's lounge.
Everything.
Often, the kids do feel very connected--
or disconnected, excuse me-- from the hearing world.
The world at large.
Because they feel different, and they feel
they can't communicate or can't understand everything.
All you can do is your best for the students.
Obviously, you can't be perfect for everyone.
So if you do some analysis and realize
that you can improve in certain areas, I think that's enough.
Dialogue with the students, interact
with other individuals in the Deaf community.
That is enough.
We don't expect all deaf and hard of hearing kids
to be able to come to the Deaf school.
That's not going to happen.
We want what's ever best or most successful
for that individual student.
So if that means that they need to be mainstreamed
in public school, be the only deaf student there, it's fine.
If it means that they come to our school, that's fine.
It's whatever works for those individual students.
Educational options for deaf students,
as I said before, they can be mainstreamed
in the public school setting, they
may have an interpreter, a sign language interpreter,
they may use hearing aids, they may use an FM system
with the teacher or other accommodations.
Whatever that student needs.
It may be notes printed, it may be note-taking,
it may be videos captioned.
Things on Zoom can be done.
It may be one on one support from the deaf and hard
of hearing teacher.
Whatever that individual student needs.
In more urban settings in the public schools,
there may be several deaf students in a program.
So that means that they may have the finances, the budget
to have an actual Deaf program at that school.
They may have a teacher of the Deaf who teaches deaf students.
Could be a deaf or a hearing teacher.
They would be providing direct instruction using sign language
or even using other types of communication modes.
But it would be more direct instruction from the teacher
to the deaf students, not a teacher and an interpreter
and a deaf student.
So in some cases, there may be a program
where the teachers are able to directly instruct the students.
There are a few places in the United States, such as Chicago.
They have one.
New York has a few programs where--
and in New England, there are multiple programs.
In Washington state, as well.
Again, dependent on the particular community
and their needs, they may have programs like that.
And third option is that they may come to the Deaf school,
like the school that I teach at, where the students receive
direct instruction from the teachers.
Most of our teachers are deaf where
their first language or their primary language was ASL.
And we have a class full of deaf students who are all using ASL.
So there is direct communication,
there is no delay and communication,
there's no awkwardness.
There's no interpreter needed.
It looks just like any other school.
The only difference is the language that's being used.
That's all.
Some Deaf schools don't necessarily use ASL.
They have a focus on spoken language,
so the teachers use spoken language.
And it's a family decision that they want
to just use spoken English.
And that works for them.
However, those accommodations are
made to meet the needs of the student.
Some schools do use cued speech.
And so the teacher is speaking, and while they speak,
they actually are showing where the sounds
are happening on the face.
It is a mode of communication.
It is not a language.
But there are some people that prefer to use cued speech.
They feel that it connects them better to the hearing
world and spoken English.
Many schools use Signing Exact English, which is called SEE.
American Sign Language has grammar and syntax.
It is its own language.
If we tried to put that in English,
it would not work because it's not English.
However, Signing Exact English is signing
every exact word in English.
So the word the and a swinging all those parts of the word
are shown in Signing Exact English.
RICHARD LADNER: Beth?
Yeah, just a point about Signed English.
American Sign Language is efficient,
meaning its information rate's similar to speaking.
And you're using these really big muscles in your arms
and makers and stuff like that, so each side
has to have a lot of information in it.
In SEE or in Signed English, you have
to take the spoken language and do
an exact match using these big muscles, so everything is slow.
It's much slower than ASL.
So it's-- hmm, I don't know the percentage slowness,
but it's at least 50% slower.
So it's very inefficient.
And so after learning in SEE, most kids
go on and learn ASL because it's much more efficient.
BETH KIMBALL: Yes.
And it depends on where they are headed in their lives.
If where they live has that oper--
if they have that opportunity to learn ASL,
absolutely, they will.
But if not, then some do stick with Signing Exact English.
So it just depends on their life journey, honestly.
But Richard, you are right.
I do remember from grad school, Signing Exact English or SEE,
that's called a linear language.
We call that a linear language.
So everything is in order in line.
ASL-- American Sign Language-- is a vertical language.
So you can sign and include the grammatical structures
with facial grammars and body language.
Where one sign combines all of those aspects
and has a multitude of meanings and can
create an entire sentence.
So yes, ASL is more efficient, much quicker
than spoken language if you know ASL-- if you know how to sign.
INTERPRETER: Are you ready to switch?
I--
So maybe you have a deaf or hard of hearing student
that is using different types of technology.
So I'm not talking about iPads or computers
or that type of technology, what I'm talking about
is their own personal assistive technology for their hearing
accessibility.
So for example, they're called smart hearing aids.
So if they're using that assistive technology that
has Bluetooth capability--
for example, with my hearing aids,
I'm able to listen to music from my iPad
through my hearing aids.
And so that's one way that we can
use that type of technology.
Or I'm able to connect to an FM system
directly through my own hearing aids.
I can listen to announcements in the airport
or in the grocery store or adjust my settings
for different types of environments.
Or I can connect to my iPhone, for example,
to be able to use my hearing.
For some Deaf individuals that are more profoundly deaf,
they might take advantage of the cochlear implant process, which
is actually a surgical procedure that connects technology
to the inner part of the ear and the cochlea.
And it's connected directly to a device that allows them
to be able to hear auditory--
or it connects to their auditory nerve.
So it basically bypasses their ear
for that part of the ear that does not work,
and connects directly to that nerve
to help them have that hearing function.
One of the really nice things about that is I have an implant
and it doesn't mean that I'm able to hear everything
exactly, but I can hear announcements in the store,
I can hear someone walking behind me.
I might be able to pick up environmental noise.
I might hear something that's happening in my environment.
So that is one of the really nice things,
that I'm able to hear those noises.
But one of the things that happens
is that my brain has difficulty separating
some of those environmental sounds
and separating that from spoken language.
So that could be a little bit overwhelming
for individuals that do have a cochlear implant.
So, yeah, you have to think about your students.
If they're trying to listen to the teacher,
they're also trying to filter out
some of those background information
and some of the other noise that's in their environment.
That for hearing people, who have grown up
hearing all those noises, they learn how to filter it out.
But it's a lot more difficult for our students
and it can become exhausting throughout their school day.
Or some students might use hearing aids with an FM system,
like I mentioned before.
So basically that would be like a microphone
that the teacher would wear during the class that
would connect directly to the students
hearing aid or cochlear implants.
And wherever the teacher walks, anywhere in the classroom,
then the student would be able to hear
what the teacher is saying.
On the left side, you'll see a couple
of different options for accessibility
to language and different types of communication modes.
As we have already talked about, there is signed ASL.
You'll also see there where is says Pidgin Sign English,
that is a little bit of a mixture between what
we talked about earlier-- about Signing Exact English and ASL.
It's also a combination of some made up signs,
as well as gestures.
And that is something that some students might use,
but it's not something that will be common to all.
So if someone speaks spoken English
and maybe they're in an oral environment,
they might use cued speech or lip reading
or a variety of these methods.
Typical requirements for a classroom set up prior
to COVID, were that there were a variety of accommodations
that might be needed for deaf and hard of hearing student.
And the focus on that is more on the physical set up.
So usually, your teacher's at the front of the classroom
in front of the whiteboard.
The sign language interpreter would stand closely
to the teacher.
You also might have a captionist or a card person,
as well as an FM system.
Usually, for college programs, you
will have a student who pays for someone
to be a note taker for them, so that the deaf student is
able to keep their eyes on the interpreter.
Because oftentimes, if they're looking at the interpreter
and then looking down to write notes,
they might miss information.
So they can focus on the interpreter the entire time.
In the picture-- this is from an actual University
in Washington.
And so a college level workshop.
You can see the presenter there on the left
in the front with the PowerPoint behind them,
and then the interpreter, who is signing,
being right there by the PowerPoint.
And you'll see the students--
you'll see the bald man who is deaf and blind,
and then you'll know that he might be the interpreter.
And then, there is a person there
who is able to provide tactile interpretation, who
can hear as well.
And be there to provide that tactile information in sign
language to the Deaf and blind students,
to be able to give them communication access.
The same concept is for a sign language teacher.
They can see the signs, but it's through touch.
And then, you'll see right there in the red outline, the laptop
for the cards, where they're able to see the captions
and/or note taker.
Which can be shared with that deaf/blind individual.
All right, now, finally, we are at the computer science portion
of the presentation.
So computer science is a hot topic now for schools
and in the classroom.
And it's not a new field to the world.
It's been recognized since--
it's been recognized for a very long time, since the 1800s.
The woman who first came up with computer code was Ada Lovelace.
So it's been around for some time.
But more recently, schools have realized how important
it is for kids to be able to use technology,
to understand how to use computers as well,
in the professional setting.
And also to be able to use technology safely.
And so this is the opportunity where
we've kind of backpedaled to give them
the training that they need.
Now, when we talk about the language in English
for computer science, it's still evolving.
The language itself is developing.
The different tags that are being picked up.
All of that is relatively new in English, and likewise in ASL.
However, in ASL, the standardized signs
are not as readily available as they might be in English,
because there are fewer people.
So it's evolving, but evolving more slowly
than the computer science language is in English.
Because it's not as commonly used and not as many
people are as familiar.
So there are often not standardized signs
for computer science terminology,
so you might see signs like, for example, the word algorithm.
One person might sign it this way,
and then another person might sign it like this.
More like a rule.
Just showing the concept of it.
And you'll see that those two signs don't look similar,
but they're still related.
And so that's what's really happening across the board
now in ASL, where the language is still evolving
and those that are in the field are developing those signs.
Keep in mind that interpreters and captions are not perfect.
It's affected by their level of understanding,
as well as how well they are able to match up
with the teacher's language.
And you'll see things on YouTube,
for example, when you're watching,
if you look at the automatic captions, they're just awful.
And so it often depends on the technology.
And someone who is speaking in English, and then the captions
do not match up, especially when you're
talking about terminology, it's very difficult to follow.
Generally speaking, I teach middle school and high school
computer science.
And my very first approach with students is just to show them
how to make mistakes.
I will, on purpose, make mistakes
and put them up for the students to see.
And I will mess up something just to show them
and to help to show them how to respond appropriately.
And then, I want them to see that it doesn't
have to be upsetting them where you
need to throw an iPad because you made a mistake.
But mistakes were OK.
You just take it the opportunity to look into it
and find out how to fix it.
Other times, students will ask me questions
and I may know the answer.
But sometimes, I don't.
A lot of times, I don't know the answer.
And so I tell them that.
I want them to see that it's OK to make mistakes.
I want them to know that it's OK to ask for help.
And to find out ways to fix it.
I never touch their code.
I never use their device.
I let them know that it's OK to make mistakes,
because when they make mistakes, they're able to learn.
And I walk them through how to find a solution.
But I would never give them the answer,
because I think that that's a skill that's
important for them, as they develop and they go along
their own journeys to figure out how to find the answers
and how to make mistakes, and to learn from them.
To teach them how to develop the skills to be
able to improve and to analyze and to learn,
and to develop time management skills.
I know in the past I've made mistakes,
and then it takes three hours to go back
and to fix one semicolon.
But then, I know that the next time I come across
that, I won't make that same mistake.
Going back to the example of YouTube,
or the website W3 for schools.
Looking at those different types of resources and the tags,
there will help them--
if I don't know the answer, I teach them
how to find the answer on YouTube or W3.
How to search for the information
that they need to help themselves, using
key words using the internet.
I think that that's a really good way
to help them to learn how to find the information.
I can't emphasize enough how important
it is to present them with small challenges.
Not to just jump right into a 3 week long project,
but to make baby steps and start with those smaller projects
or divide bigger projects up into smaller segments.
That way, they can catch those mistakes earlier and fix
those mistakes piece by piece.
And then, when they take each segment,
they're going to end up with a better end product
and it's going to decrease their frustration,
and give them some pride in their work.
Peer or pair projects, where two kids work together,
where you have one person that is the driver
and then you have--
they are the only one who's actually touching the computer.
Actually inputting the code, working in the program.
And then, the other person that is part of that pair
is the navigator.
They give them directions only.
They don't actually touch the computer.
Now, with deaf kids, having them pair--
having a deaf kid and a hearing kid,
that can present challenges as far as communication,
and how they can learn to work together.
You might see them looking at each other, making faces,
not knowing how to do it.
That gives them an opportunity to either work it out,
it lets one person actually open up the program
and look at the code.
And then the other person might be
able to open up a Word document on another computer
or their notepad and actually type in English
what those instructions are.
Then the driver can look over and see what
the navigator is typing out.
You can give them 15 to 20 minutes
and then have them switch roles.
Or you can open up separate tabs on the computer
and then they can swap over, so that they switch roles.
And the other one gets to become the driver,
and the other the navigator.
That way, they get that opportunity
to learn communication skills, and learn
how to help their partner to understand better.
And it also helps them with their coding at the same time.
One of the skills that they learn by doing that
is learning how to work with somebody
who's different than themselves, which is an important life
skill.
So if you have a hearing student and deaf student working
together, that gives them the opportunity
to see the potential of the other students.
The deaf student might be brilliant,
and it gives that hearing student the opportunity
to see and to learn from that.
Now, when you have a kid that says,
I want to work with the deaf kid,
I wouldn't choose that student.
I would choose someone else who would
be able to get that opportunity to--
I don't want someone to say this is my deaf friend
and be seeking attention.
So I suggest pairing a deaf student maybe
with another more quiet student in your class
or another student who maybe has some little meltdowns
or someone who is not as motivated academically.
It gives them an opportunity to learn from one another.
I like to use to specific programs
for teaching computer science in particular.
The first one is called Code.org,
and it's a free program.
It's a free website for teachers,
where you can register, you can set up an account,
and you can register your students
in your classroom, where they're able to work
through that site at advancing levels.
And one of the things that I like about that
is that Code.org very strongly believes in meeting kids
where they are.
Even if you have a high school students
that can create an entire website from scratch
or if you have a student who has never
had any experience with computer science,
Code.org believes that any child can do coding.
And so they meet the child where they are at,
at their current level.
And my first teaching experience at a high school level,
those students had never taken a computer science class before.
They had not done any coding at all in the past.
They came in completely fresh.
They use technology every day.
I mean, our kids are obsessed with technology, obsessed
with their iPads and their iPhones
and their Facebook and their Instagram.
And they use the technology, but they've never
created any of those programs.
So this was the opportunity to be
able to teach them how to use it appropriately, to use it
safely, and to develop the skills that they needed to not
have to rely on their teachers.
So Code.org was really nice because it met them
at their level.
They start out with computer science principles.
And that was really quite advanced for a high school
level.
It didn't match the students that I was working with.
And so I bumped it down to a middle school level
for that particular class.
And the students didn't know that.
Nothing on their computer screen said
this is sixth grade material, so they were--
they didn't know.
They were just picking up coding.
They were using HTML.
They were working on their website.
None the wiser.
And so when they were ready to advance to the high school
level, then I opened up that next level for them.
For middle school, for those that
are not ready for the middle school level,
there's also an elementary level.
So I started that group out at fourth or fifth grade.
And then when you see that that's a little bit easy--
or it was a little bit easy.
But one of the nice things was that it
helped them to learn the terminology,
and then to set them up for the next level.
So if you have deaf and hard of hearing
students or really any students who are falling behind
in reading Code.org is a really nice program,
because they don't mean to be able to have a high reading
level.
Most of the information is in videos
and it is captioned with kid friendly captions.
It's not using large words, huge vocabulary.
It's using everyday language and helping them
to understand what it means.
It's very visual, and it shows how
each of those pieces of code fit together and how they run.
And it shows it in yellow when it's running,
so they're able to see where it is in reading the code.
So it's very visual.
And then they're also able to see--
it's much easier for them to find their mistakes.
The other program that I like to use
is a little bit more open ended and it's from MIT.
And it's called scratch.MIT.edu.
And this one helps them to use basic code,
but with less guidance, less step by step instruction.
So it allows them to be more creative in making
their own projects, which is nice some.
For those who are motivated and who
are willing to explore and to play around
and to make mistakes.
Some kids though, are not very comfortable
with that type of approach, and they
prefer to use Code.org because they
feel like it's too much information
and they don't know quite what to do with it.
Whereas the Code.org is more a step by step,
more guided instruction.
And when you finish a particular level,
you move on to the next level.
Just one thought I wanted to share when looking at the MIT
program or scratch.MIT.
It is accessible for--
it will be more accessible for deaf
and hard of hearing students.
I have a contract with them--
with their team, where they are in the process of filming me
give the instructions in ASL, so that a student will
be able to click on certain content,
and then it will pull up a video of me signing it.
I'm not sure when that will be released,
but it's a work in progress.
And it will be coming soon.
Sometime at least before I retire.
I don't know when, though.
[LAUGHTER]
So, sometime within the next 40 years.
So this is a very fun remember-- fun memory.
When I taught my first class here
at Indiana School for the Deaf, I
was teaching a high school level class.
But with that particular group of students,
they did not have any or very little content-level
understanding.
And so, like I said, I opened up the class at a middle school
level on coding.org, and they were able to pick that up.
And by the end of the semester--
so halfway through that school year,
they were ready to go ahead.
And that group of students went to the governor's office
and shared the project that they were able to make.
So that was a really cool experience
that I was able to do that, so I haven't failed yet.
[LAUGHTER]
Another class that I had was a middle school group
of students who were at grade level
for reading and writing, and math
and didn't have any issues at all.
So that was a pretty easy class to work through.
And coding.org, they made great progress.
We had a lot of fun.
They were able to create a lot of their own projects.
And I have to say, though, that one of my best classes
ever was actually a life skills class at the middle school
level.
Now, this group of kids, some of them
aren't even able to walk to the cafeteria on their own.
Some are not able to go to the restroom on their own.
This is a group of students that will not be going to college.
They're working on independent living skills.
And some of them will probably go on to live in group homes
or continue to live with their parents.
So this was the educational level of the students
that I was working with.
And so I was asked to teach a computer science
class to this group of students, and I
asked but my administrator said, OK, well,
I guess it can't hurt.
So I said, why not?
I felt like they would be able to benefit.
It's still good experience for them.
They can learn problem solving.
They can learn how to identify mistakes, to identify shapes,
to learn patience, to learn how to respond to frustration
better, to not totally lose it if they make a mistake
or become frustrated.
So when I asked to do this, my administrators
went ahead and approved it.
And I was amazed that they could do everything.
The terminology wasn't as important.
They were able to still understand the concepts,
though.
Because they were able to do it hands on.
They actually had the skills to watch the videos
and to do it on their own.
One of the students was deaf and blind, and in a wheelchair.
And she did much better than I expected.
She actually did much better than her aid
or her parents expected.
And she was able to use different tools or toys
from preschool with lights to look
at the programming for those toys,
and to navigate based on the feeling,
based on the limited vision that she did have.
And she did much better than anyone expected her to.
Interestingly, her behavior improved,
her frustration at school improved.
She didn't cry or scream or anything.
She did so much better.
I think it was because she had some pride in herself,
in the work she was doing.
Now, with computer science, if you're just beginning to teach
or if it's a new program that's being adopted
into your school's curriculum, it can be a huge undertaking.
There can be a large gap between the levels of students.
You're going to have students who come
in with no technology at home.
You might have someone from a poor family
or maybe it doesn't match with their religious beliefs
or they have limited accessibility because of where
they live.
So for various reasons, you might have students
that have little technology.
And then you might have other students
that spend their summer coding.
So being able to meet your students where they are.
You might have a huge gap in the access that your students have.
And so it's really important to meet them where they are.
And for those students that are a bit behind,
help them to catch up with the students that are further
ahead.
So that means that you may need to make individual assignments,
more enrichment type projects for your students
that are more advanced, and then helping
your students that are further behind,
so that they can catch up.
I can't emphasize enough how important it
is for us to not assume that just because our students use
technology, that they understand what it means
and how to use it appropriately and safely.
Especially when we think about deaf
and hard of hearing students and special needs students.
So many parents of children with special needs,
if they are out in the community at a restaurant or a grocery
store, you'll see them give their phone or their iPad
to the child as a babysitter.
Just to keep them quiet while they're out in public.
And so the kids know how to use it,
but they might not always know how to use it appropriately.
Sometimes, you will see information
that's not age appropriate, even if you're looking
at Facebook or Instagram.
So digital citizenship is an important skill
that we need to be able to teach our students
and learning how to use the internet safely.
And also to be able to block inappropriate material
for them.
Our kids now in middle school and high school,
they're pretty much online 24/7.
Especially now.
Everyone's using Zoom.
They turn it off after class and then they grab their phone
and they're texting somebody.
And then they put that down and then they're
watching YouTube videos while they're laying in bed.
And there's something going day and night
for most of our students.
And sometimes they're not always using it appropriately.
Also, it's important to know that anything
that they post on the internet stays there forever.
It's a digital footprint.
So we want to help them to understand
that even if you delete it and someone can't see it,
it doesn't mean that no one can see it.
It might come up later when you apply for a job or when--
and you could even lose your job for some inappropriate material
that was posted several years ago.
You hear it all the time about a CEO
that gets fired because of a comment that was discriminatory
that they posted 10 or 15 years ago,
or an inappropriate picture.
And then they lose everything that they've worked for,
all of their accomplishments.
They lose their income and everything from a single post
that they may have made when they were young and dumb.
So keeping in mind that we need to teach
our kids that these CEOs are losing their jobs for something
they posted when they were 20.
So it's really important for us to stress to our students
that are in their teens about how important it
is to be careful about what they are posting
and how to use the internet safely,
and to make sure that they have good results for the future.
So now, I like to show this.
I call it the state of the states.
So, our current level.
RICHARD LADNER: So, Beth, just a moment.
I put the link in the chat.
And so people can open that up if they like.
And I think we're not going to go off and do the activity
on the next slide, but just go ahead and do your demonstration
on this website.
INTERPRETER: OK, great.
So I'll show you my state.
But if you're curious, you can take a look
at this website to see how your state is doing from the link
that Richard typed into the chat.
And you could probably Google it, too.
It's not hard to find.
It's code.org/promote/in.
So it will show you what each state is
doing for computer science standards, as well
as requirements in education, what's
offered as far as computer science in each state,
and what percentage of students are using computer science
as part of their IEP--
or their individualized education plan.
On the top, you'll see IN general computer science
education statistics.
And then as you scroll down, you'll see a map.
And then you can choose whichever states.
So I chose Indiana, because that's where I'm from.
So you can see that there are over 4,000 open jobs
in the computer science field.
That's a lot of jobs for today's economy.
It shows their starting salary as well, as $77,000.
And then it also shows that 72% of public high schools
offer computer science classes.
Now, this doesn't tell us how many students are taking them.
But it does show us that 72% offer.
And then the next number shows graduates in computer science--
2,347.
So that's about half of the available jobs.
So we see that there are 4,000 and some vacancies,
and only 2,000 graduating in those particular fields.
So we see an opportunity to be able to invest in our students,
and our teachers to be able to provide that training.
We do require computer science for all of our high school
students.
Not all of them take it, but we do offer it.
And then the K-12 standards, you can click on this,
and it will show you the standards for the state
for each of those grade levels.
And then the AP stats.
You can see in some states that it's incredible.
Like New York, for example.
20,000 available computing jobs, and only 6,000 graduates.
And only 48% of the schools teaching it.
Those aren't good statistics.
Or for example, Alaska.
They're doing pretty well.
Washington state, not bad.
So as you can see some states do better than others.
So if you're curious about your own home states
or whatever your favorite college football
team is, if you want to check out
what the stats are in their state, you can take a look.
So it's really important to take a look
at the situation as a whole, to look at all of your students.
Not providing these computer science classes just
for your college bound classes, and for those that
are looking for additional electives
to fill out their schedule.
But all of your students can take computer science classes,
regardless of their needs, regardless of their language
or their disability.
They can all do it.
We'll skip the activity.
I just want to emphasize how you can help your deaf
and hard of hearing students.
Be sure to read their IEP.
As their teacher, it's really important
to request access, so that what their individual needs are,
what their accommodations are, so that you
can meet those educational needs and to help them to improve
and learn their best.
Include them.
Inclusion is so important.
One thing that I've noticed in public school settings
is, let's say, you have a deaf student in a math class
and a social studies and English, they
get pulled out for elective classes or, for example,
foreign language--
they get pulled out for computer science.
If you see that happening in your school, please, step in.
Make sure you're providing the support
that those students need.
Another thing that you can do is if you have a presentation,
Google Slides will provide auto captions.
So if you turn your mic on the computer,
it will turn on auto captions.
And they're not too bad.
They're not perfect.
If you get too far away, it won't pick up correctly
or if you have an accident, it might not always pick it up.
But it is helpful.
If you do have interpreters in your classroom,
please provide them with prep materials in advance.
Give them a heads up.
If you can give them two or three days ahead of time,
let them know what the topic is, what you'll be discussing
or what the activities will be, any important terminology.
That way, they can make sure to be prepared
to have appropriate signs.
Because there's nothing worse than being a deaf student
and watching an interpreter try to figure out
the concept on the fly, or having
them to spell out every single word because they're not
familiar with the material.
If an interpreter just gets the information right then
in the lesson, it's going to be very
difficult to be able to process that information.
Also, another thing that is helpful.
If you're writing on the board, please
do not talk and write at the same time
because it makes it difficult for the students
to catch all of the information.
And it's not just for the deaf and hard of hearing students.
It's really beneficial to all of your students.
And also, if you think about it, while you
have your back to the class, they
can be talking to one another or texting.
So it's beneficial to you, too.
If you think about when you turn around and look at the board
and you're writing notes, the hearing students
are able to look away and still have access.
However, the Deaf students are not.
And you want to make sure that you're providing equal access
to all of your students.
BETH KIMBALL: Ready to switch?
So your deaf students need visual supports,
visual representations.
In English, one word can have a whole host of different signs
that can be used.
And likewise, in ASL.
A sign can go to a variety of English words.
So it's important to provide visuals
to help the students connect that word with the word that
should be used.
And it helps the interpreter choose to the correct sign
as well.
It's helpful to use anchor charts, such as those
that I have posted behind me.
That's beneficial to all students.
They can get the information on the presentation,
they can look down at their notes.
They can look back up and still refer and stay right on track
with the information.
Of course, once the pandemic has ended,
we'll be able to go back to having circular or U shaped
seating.
That's the best scenario for deaf students,
so that they can have a visual sight
line on all of the students.
It allows them to follow who the speaker is.
Captioning should be provided on all videos.
That's extremely helpful.
If you take advantage of Teacher Pay Teacher videos,
those are not captioned.
Then they are not useful.
It is not fair to expect an interpreter
to interpret all the information that's provided in a video.
It's just not best practice.
So you want to find accessible materials.
Most importantly, all Deaf students need time.
Kids that can hear have the opportunity to look down,
continue to listen while looking at their paper
or referring to something else.
Look at a, click on b, referring to their computer
and listening at the same time.
That student cannot look at their computer and listen
to instruction at the same time, because they need that visual
sight line.
So give the example, take a pause,
let the students follow that step.
Then, give another example, take a pause,
let the students follow the next step.
And continue in that manner.
And that allows you, as the teacher,
to catch their mistakes as well.
Often, when we just plow ahead, even the other students
will make mistakes.
And they're glad if you keep plowing forward,
because you won't see that.
But those pauses allow time to catch those mistakes as well.
As we wrap up, Richard?
RICHARD LADNER: Yeah.
Thank you, Beth, that was fantastic.
And there's so many things to learn
about dealing with Deaf kids, especially
in the mainstream when they're isolated.
If people have questions, can they just
put them into the chat?
And Brianna is sort of monitoring that.
One thing that Beth was talking about earlier
was looking at your state and how your state is doing
in terms of computer science.
And so I put in--
there's an organization here called the Code.org Advocacy
Coalition, and AccessCSforAll is part of that coalition.
And so that's a good place to sort of monitor and see
how not just your state is doing,
but how the nation is doing.
And if you really want to get engaged, you can.
Find out who in your state is part
of this Advocacy Coalition.
So, Beth-- so people are starting
to put the comments in.
So one thing that--
well, we had a workshop two summers ago--
I keep forgetting about the pandemic-- two summers
ago with teachers of deaf and hard of hearing,
and you were part of that, actually.
And when we wrote a paper about that afterwards,
we learned that there are people that kind of make a similarity
or compare or see the similarities
between English language learners and Deaf students.
So I wonder if you had some comments
on comparing those two groups.
What are the similarities and perhaps
what are the differences?
BETH KIMBALL: Well, they are similar in that they're
both beginning.
If you have a Deaf student that's
new to coding and a new English student,
I would say they are similar enough.
However, the difference between ESL students
is that they will oftentimes catch up.
And a deaf student is never going
to become hearing and never learn English perfectly.
So it's not a perfect comparison.
However, they are learning English
as their second language.
Though, English is, for an ESL student,
their second, third, or fourth language, potentially.
And they can acquire that.
But a deaf student may never be completely fluent in English,
RICHARD LADNER: Right.
Yeah, that's sort of what we read as well in the literature
that we read about that.
The comparison is somewhat of the same,
but there are these big differences.
So-- go ahead, Brianna.
BRIANNA BLASER: There's a question
in the chat about if you have any experience with Project
Lead The Way.
RICHARD LADNER: Project Lead the Way.
BETH KIMBALL: Oh, personally, our school
is not big enough to be able to afford Project Lead The Way.
It's about $6,000 per start up, but I
do know they do good work.
And it's definitely worth it, if your school is already
involved in their program from other classes.
You definitely should check it out.
As for accessible materials through that, they are trying,
let's just put it that way.
They don't have a Deaf person on staff,
and they do not have an accessibility director.
So they don't currently have modifications
for a lot of their materials.
So if any of you have Deaf students who
are working at grade level, I think
it's a good fit for those materials.
But if you have students who are working below grade level
or have delays, you will have to modify everything yourself.
RICHARD LADNER: So, Beth, one thing
I've learned in the last few years is that most special ed
programs that I'm aware of in the nation,
really don't seem to teach much about teaching deaf kids.
So where do-- special ed doesn't do much.
Where did you learn and how did--
where do other teachers like yourself
learn to teach Deaf kids that wasn't special ed programs?
BETH KIMBALL: Well, again, you do
have to recall that each kid is different.
And you do have to accommodate for their needs.
But what helps initially, is to--
when you meet the Deaf person, or just to meet Deaf people
in general-- get involved in Deaf events--
Deaf community events, interact with the community,
take an ASL class.
Those are some little things that will help.
Deaf adults are kids that grew up in these programs,
and so they have these experiences.
I grew up hearing and became deaf later in life.
So I was interested in becoming a teacher,
but long before I was Deaf.
Once I became deaf, I did go to Rochester Institute
of Technology--
RIT.
And I took a Deaf education master's program there.
And there are a few of those programs out there
that specialize in Deaf education.
But special ed is taught in all schools,
and it may include a piece of Deaf education.
But having that true Deaf education approach
includes the language and the culture, which is quite a bit
different.
RICHARD LADNER: Right.
Yeah, there are these special ed programs that
specialize in Deaf education.
And I know there's one in Oregon.
Washington state does not have one.
So they're not in every state.
BETH KIMBALL: One positive aspect of COVID
is that these deaf education programs
are offering things online now.
RICHARD LADNER: Oh, yeah.
Great.
Can someone who is teaching--
what would be some resources-- a mainstream teacher
has one Deaf kid in their class.
Are there some places where they could get resources?
Where they could understand best how
to serve that kid along with all the other kids as well?
BETH KIMBALL: Well, they can obviously
start with Google to do a search,
and a whole host of things will come up.
Filtering through Teachers Pay Teachers,
you can click on special needs.
There are Facebook groups and Instagram groups out there.
Searching through the hashtag Deaf education,
you'll find a whole host of resources there.
Picture, stories, YouTube videos.
There are fantastic resources out there.
And then also looking at a local club or ASL classes.
They usually will have access to some resources and some tips
on places to find information.
And I know they are often happy to help.
Because if you remember deaf adults have experienced
this as children, and oftentimes have been
traumatized or have a lot of bad memories
of how their educational experience went.
So they're more than glad to help and provide
resources that will help other deaf children
in their education.
RICHARD LADNER: Yeah.
That's a great idea is to involve Deaf adults.
Learn from deaf adults because they've
had the experience of children, and they
know what might work better.
So getting connected with a Deaf adult is not always easy.
BRIANNA BLASER: I see somebody dropped, in the chat, a link
to ASL Core as a helpful resource for CS signs.
Are there any other resources that you recommend
folks check out to learn signs that
are used in computer science?
BETH KIMBALL: ASL Core is actually one of the best.
RICHARD LADNER: Mm-hmm.
BETH KIMBALL: There's that one.
And then RIT/NTID, which is National Technical
Institute for the Deaf, is one of their colleges.
And they do have a STEM dictionary as well.
And you can look there on their website for different signs
related computer science and Sciences in general.
Again, however, these signs are oftentimes new.
They're not standardized yet, so they don't always
fit the concept.
It may be that they were--
it's a particular sign that was created by one student who
took a particular class.
But it's absolutely a good place to start.
RICHARD LADNER: I put in the chat
the ASL STEM forum, which actually, I
helped develop a few years ago.
And this one includes a lot of signs, I would say,
at the more higher level.
If you look at the RIT site or some of the other sites,
they're more, I'd say, at the elementary level.
And this one is--
actual users of sign language have contributed
to the ASL STEM forum.
BRIANNA BLASER: Well, great.
We're just about at our time, Richard.
RICHARD LADNER: Yeah, I noticed that.
So what do we say, thank you, Beth, so much.
And hopefully, everybody gain something
from your presentation.
Thank you, again.
BETH KIMBALL: Sure, absolutely.
Thank you for attending.
RICHARD LADNER: Yeah.
So there's a lot of chat thank yous there.