Classroom Accommodations for Children with Hearing Loss

Stacy Crouse
May 19
6 min read

Updated: May 19

Children with hearing loss attend a wide range of school settings across all grade levels. For teachers, administrators, and other school staff working with these students, supporting them isn’t just best practice—it’s required by federal law.

In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act mandate that students with hearing loss receive equal access to education through appropriate accommodations.

These accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis by the child’s IEP team. This team typically includes one or more parents or guardians, special and/or general education teachers or providers, an administrator, and sometimes the student. Together, they identify the supports needed to help the child succeed in school.

For a student with hearing loss (or any child receiving IEP services), accommodations may be provided in the following areas:

How information is presented (e.g., visual aids, captions)
How the student responds or demonstrates understanding
Making the learning environment accessible for instruction or assessments
Adjusting the schedule or timing of the school day or tasks

Accommodations for Children with Hearing Loss

Since every child is unique, IEP teams must consider multiple factors to select the most effective accommodations. That said, here are nine common accommodations often used for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Reduce background noise.

Background sounds in the learning environment that students with normal hearing may easily ignore, such as the hum of a furnace or traffic outside an open window, can significantly interfere with a deaf or hard of hearing student's ability to hear a teacher or peer. Reducing these noises (both in and outside of the classroom) helps make spoken communication more audible and more accessible for deaf students.

There are many ways to manage noises in and around the classroom. Some easy and low-cost examples include closing doors and windows and adding rugs or curtains to absorb sound. For greater an even greater impact, schools might invest in acoustic ceiling tiles or wall panels. It’s also important to consider the student’s entire school day (not just their primary classroom) where they may encounter noisy places like hallways, cafeterias, or specials classes.

A teacher using a rug to reduce background noise for students with hearing loss in the classroom.

Provide preferential seating.

Students with hearing loss should be seated in the most optimal location in the classroom to help them hear the teacher and/or see an interpreter. It’s important to note that the “best” seat isn’t always the front row. Because the source of important sound (or the signal) may shift throughout the day, a student’s seating location might need to change depending on the activity or lesson.

When deciding on seating arrangements, the team should consider:

Whether the student has bilateral or unilateral hearing loss (the better-hearing ear should be nearer to the sound source)
The functioning and placement of any hearing technology the student uses
The teacher’s typical location, or the placement of a sound field amplification speaker
The location of instructional materials like whiteboards or screens
Nearby sources of background noise (e.g., HVAC systems, open windows)
The sign language interpreter’s position, if applicable

Seating should always support both auditory and visual access to instruction, and adjustments may be needed as classroom layouts or teaching styles change.

Ensure visibility.

Many students with hearing loss rely on visual cues to supplement what they hear. These cues can include lip reading, following eye gaze, and interpreting gestures or facial expressions to better understand spoken language.

Teachers and other school staff should make sure their face is clearly visible by using proper lighting and facing the student when speaking. They should avoid covering their mouth with their hands, turning away while talking, or standing in front of bright windows or other backlighting that can make it hard to see facial features.

Pre-teach new concepts.

Children with hearing loss often need multiple, intentional exposures to new vocabulary and concepts to retain them. Because they don’t learn as much through incidental listening (unlike their peers with typical hearing) they benefit from explicit instruction and planned reinforcement of key information.

Effective communication with the student’s speech-language pathologist (SLP) or itinerant teacher of the deaf is essential. When these professionals are informed about what’s being taught in the classroom, they can incorporate relevant academic content into their sessions and help reinforce important concepts, supporting the child’s overall understanding and success.

Get attention before speaking.

Children with hearing loss may not notice when someone begins speaking, especially from a distance or in noisy environments. That’s why it’s important to ensure you have their attention before starting a conversation, giving directions, or providing instruction.

When addressing the entire class, a teacher might flash the lights, give a verbal cue, or simply wait until all eyes are forward before speaking. If trying to get the attention of just the student with hearing loss, a light tap on the shoulder, calling their name, or a small wave can be effective. These small gestures help ensure the student doesn’t miss important information at the start of an interaction.

A teacher providing classroom accommodations for DHH students by getting their attention before speaking.

Supplement with visuals.

Auditory information should be supported with visual aids to help students with hearing loss access and retain content. Depending on the student’s needs, this might include using gestures, writing key concepts or word maps on the board, providing typed notes or vocabulary lists, allowing peer note-sharing, turning on closed captioning for videos, using real-time captioning during live events, or providing access to a sign language interpreter.

It’s also best practice to use visual alert systems in the classroom. For example, announcements delivered over a speaker should also be displayed on a screen to ensure the student receives the message clearly.

Repeat and rephrase information.

In addition to providing visuals, students with hearing loss may often need multiple opportunities to hear information. By providing repetition, the student gets another opportunity to hear words that may have been missed, as well as hear material explained in another way using different vocabulary and/or grammatical structures which may provide needed clarification.

Students with hearing loss often experience difficulties processing spoken information the first time they hear it. Taking a little extra time to repeat gives another opportunity to hear what was said, while rephrasing may provide additional information or an alternative way to comprehend the message. Both of these accommodations ensure students don’t miss important details and can better understand the lesson.

Check for understanding.

Students with hearing loss may find it more challenging to comprehend verbal information, especially at the end of the day after many hours of listening. It’s important to regularly check in to ensure they understand the material.

Since students often respond with “yes” when asked if they understand, try using alternative methods to assess comprehension, such as:

Asking the student to repeat what they heard
Having the student draw an illustration of the information.
Encouraging the student to formulate their own questions or summarize the content
Establishing a subtle gesture the student can use to indicate when they don’t understand something during a lesson

These strategies help ensure that the student’s understanding is accurately assessed and supported when moving through academic instruction.

Support hearing and assistive technology.

Teachers and other school professionals working with a student who has hearing loss should become familiar with the child’s hearing aid(s) or cochlear implant(s). For younger children especially, staff should know how to perform daily checks to ensure the devices are working properly, resulting in fewer interruptions of auditory input.

In addition, assistive listening devices such as FM systems, sound field systems, or other technology may be used to enhance the student’s access to sound in the classroom. These tools can make a significant difference in ensuring the student receives clear, consistent auditory information throughout the day.

Whether you're a parent or school professional, I hope this list of typical hearing loss accommodations gives you helpful ideas to support students with hearing loss. The great thing about many of these strategies is that they benefit all students, not just those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Free poster of 9 classroom accommodations for children with hearing loss

Download this mini-poster to support your students and their families and teachers. And please share the link to this post with others to download their own copy as well.