5 DHH-Inclusion Habits That Cost Nothing and Change Everything

Most DHH-inclusion advice sounds like it requires a budget request: captioning software, sound-field systems, and specialized curriculum, to name a few. Some of it does, but some of the highest-impact changes are habits available to any teacher, SLP, or provider. Here are five worth building into your routine.

1 - Face First

Speech-reading, residual hearing, and visual attention all depend on a clear line of sight to the speaker's face. Before giving instructions, wait until you have eye contact, not just proximity. Talking while writing on the whiteboard, walking away mid-sentence, or standing in front of a bright window all quietly cut a DHH student out of the message.

2 - Rephrase, Don't Just Repeat

When a message doesn't land the first time, the instinct is to say the exact same words, louder. That rarely helps. If a sound or word wasn't accessible once, saying it identically again usually doesn't change the outcome. Rephrasing with different words, or pairing the verbal message with a gesture, visual, or written cue, gives a second real path to understanding instead of just a repeat of the first one.

3 - Talk to the Student, Not the Interpreter or the Notetaker

If a student works with an interpreter, notetaker, or captioner, the natural pull is to make eye contact with that support person, especially mid-conversation. Direct your attention and your language to the student. It's a small shift that makes a real difference in whether a DHH student feels like a participant in the conversation or a bystander.

4 - Build in Visual Redundancy by Default

Written agendas, captioned videos, visual schedules, and posted vocabulary aren't accommodations to add only once a DHH student is identified - they're good practice for every learner! It also ensures a DHH student never has to ask for the version of the lesson that actually works for them.

5 - Ask the Student (or Family) What Works

Communication preference is individual. Some DHH students are primarily ASL users, some rely on listening and spoken language, many use both depending on context, and preferences can shift as a student grows. The fastest way to get inclusion right is to ask directly, document the answer, and revisit it. Don't default to whatever worked for the last DHH student on your caseload.

Why This List Is Worth Keeping

These five habits don't require a purchase order, but they do require attention. Once these habits become automatic, all of your students will benefit. If you want to go deeper on the curriculum side of this work, come back for our Sept. 10 course spotlight with Sydney Bassard, MSP, CCC-SLP.