Academic Experiences of Deaf College Students within Communication Constraints

Abstract

Inclusive education policies and Philippines laws have long encouraged educational institutions to admit students with disabilities. This prompted one state university in the country to enroll deaf students in its technical-vocational teacher education program. However, the low retention rate of 36% among the first cohort of enrollees raised concerns regarding communication constraints, which have been identified as a significant cause of academic failure among deaf students in higher education. This study examined the lived experiences of deaf students in the teacher education program to understand the nature and meaning of their communication difficulties. Anchored in critical disability theory and the phenomenological model of disability, the study focused on how communication barriers and enablers within institutional and societal contexts shaped the academic experiences of deaf students. Through systematic reduction of the participants’ narratives, five interconnected themes emerged: technology mediation, facilitation by intermediaries, linguistic challenges, expression structure, and socio-economic concerns. Each theme demonstrated that communication constraints stemmed from the design of learning environments that favor non-disabled individuals, underscoring the need for institutions to integrate accessibility into their pedagogical approaches and educational administration systems.