ACCESS, TECHINAL SUPPORT, AND READING PRACTICE OF STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT AT THREE ECUADORIAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The access of students with sensory deficits to quality educational services persists as one of the challenges of  higher education worldwide. This work aims to determine  the level of access and technical support that three  Ecuadorian universities offer to students with hearing impairment for the development of reading skills. The  mixed approach of scientific research is used for data  collection. The instrument used is the Inclusive Education Access Questionnaire created by Real (2011). The techniques used were: contextualized observation, in-depth interview, and survey. The results show that in the  universities studied, limitations persist in providing  technical support to students with sensory disabilities, reducing the development of reading skills in the group  studied. The research concluded that to improve the  reading skills of students with hearing impairment, the  participating universities must install pedagogical/technical supports, design intervention routes, and strengthen the knowledge and motivation of the teaching staff to implement curricular adaptations and specific tutorials.