Challenge

When you move from topic to topic you notice that deaf and hard-of-hearing students often miss the transition.

Strategies

Be certain that you signal new topics in as clear a way as possible. For example include long pauses. Deliberately state that you are beginning a new topic. Outline class material in the corner of the board and point to new topics as you proceed through the material.

If there is an interpreter or captionist present, discuss this situation with him/her after class. He/she may not be familiar with the content of the course and thus may be uncertain when new topics are being introduced unless clearly cued by something you say in the course of the lecture. This is especially important if multiple interpreters or captionists are used for the class (perhaps because of its length), because a replacement will not know what occurred earlier in the class.