The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the remote learning of school-going children with hearing impairment disability in South Africa.

Abstract

Worldwide schooling systems have been fundamentally affected by COVID-19, requiring the variation of schools to remove learning methods. All school-going children confronted challenges in light of this shift, yet it's urgent to take a gander at what it meant for children attending school who have hearing impairment disabilities specifically. This study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the remote learning of school-going children with hearing impairment disability in South Africa. The objectives were to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the remote learning of school-going children with hearing impairments in South Africa, particularly examining how it influences their access to educational resources and levels of classroom engagement; to understand the challenges experienced by school-going children with hearing impairments in accessing remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic; to identify barriers faced by school-going children with hearing impairments in receiving adequate support from teachers and parents; and to provide recommendations for improving the remote learning experienced by school-going children with hearing impairments. The study was a desktop study, and the results were based on the findings of several researchers on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on remote education for school-going children with hearing impairment disability in South Africa. The findings demonstrate how COVID-19 affects school-going children with hearing impairments access to online learning. The academic performance and engagement of school-going children with hearing impairments and disabilities were affected. The challenges facing school-going children with hearing impairments in online learning included communication barriers, limited availability of support services, limited sign language interpretation, difficult-to-read masks, limited availability of resources, and social isolation. Moreover, professionals have a duty and accountability to ensure that online education is accessible to school-going children with hearing impairments. Collaborative efforts, the training of educators to deliver online learning for school-going children with hearing impairments, and structural interventions, alongside other strategies, can be utilized to enhance the participation of school-going children with hearing impairments in the South African educational framework. This research suggests employing a range of diverse interventions to tackle the issues encountered by children attending school with hearing disabilities in South Africa. Inform experts and the community about the rights of their children and their responsibility in obtaining education; offer additional resources to support teachers’ development.