A Study on the Necessity of Establish Universal Design Environment for the hearing impaired in Online Education Environment

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) Contrary to expectations that Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic will end in a short time, as it continues to spread all over the world, non-face-to-face education in schools and most educational institutions is prolonged. Accordingly, people are seeking to settle down in online space out of face-to-face education. In particular, there is an opportunity to study the state-of-the-art technology without time and space constraints, as various information from home and abroad is transmitted. However, it is difficult for the hearing impaired to access Internet information itself, and the support system for it is not well established, so it is rarely used actively. Therefore, it is time for research to establish an environment in which the hearing impaired can create a convenient living territory for the impaired party in the cutting edge field. (Method) In this study it tries to look into how the hearing impaired online education is currently progressed, examine problems in this area in terms of universal design, and suggest plans to build an effective environment. (Results) Most sign language videos show a sign language interpreter in one corner of the screen. However, the sign language is a non-manual language, and its meaning should be conveyed not only through hand gestures but also through facial expressions. Therefore, learning effects can be obtained only when the size of the sign language screen is larger. In particular, it will be effective to develop and actively use emoticons since there is no reluctance for the young hearing impaired to use as they are used a lot for text conversations, complement the limitations of communication, and are highly attentive. A total communication approach to educate the hearing impaired is prominent and more effective than the case of using only a single medium through a single-sensory. Since spoken language, sign language, subtitles, and emoticons are used at the same time, it is good to present a variety of ways for the hearing impaired to enhance the understanding to make their own choices. If education based on virtual reality (VR) is provided for the hearing impaired, it can be a new way to enhance their ability through engagement and various stimulations. If their abilities are enhanced through education based on VR experience, employment in high-tech fields will be possible. (Conclusions) For the hearing impaired, it is true that challenges to the high-tech field is not easy, and there are very few of them engaged in it. However, if effective and diverse forms of education are supported, the hearing impaired will be able to access the cutting-edge field and live their lives more actively.