“Our preliminary research indicates that these pagers can help deaf and hard of hearing students achieve a measure of independence that is equal to that of their hearing peers,” says Mayer, who teaches in the Deaf Education Program at York’s Faculty of Education.

The program is a joint venture of York University, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Rotary Club of Toronto (Eglinton) and Bell Canada (which donated 250 pagers and five years of service and maintenance for students, their teachers and parents). Now in its second year, the pilot study involves students at Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute (DCTI), Northern Secondary School (NSS) and Metropolitan Toronto School for the Deaf/Davisville Public School. A collaborative research team from York and the TDSB has been monitoring the program to determine if using the pagers promotes independence and develops social skills and literacy among these students.

Initial analyses of the data indicate that pager use has increased, and students report being allowed to go independently to a greater variety of places. Increasing numbers of students are allowed to go “anywhere within reason” as long as their parents know where they will be and that they are in pager contact. Pagers appear to be alleviating parental concerns about the safety and whereabouts of their deaf and hard of hearing teenagers.  

Mayer notes that research on the social and emotional development of deaf and hard of hearing children repeatedly suggests that the crux of their challenges is communication. Parents often don’t have the communication strategies or sign language to include adolescents in discussions about decisions that affect them. This lack of opportunity can result in social immaturity and impulsiveness as students have reduced opportunities to learn how to make decisions for themselves.

The next phase of the research, says Mayer, will include investigating in more detail the development of social skills and literacy – especially important since on average deaf students graduate from secondary school with a 4th to 6th grade reading level.

Research findings also have potential policy implications for educational planning and funding. Pagers could be added to the list of suggested accommodations in the Ministry of Education documents on developing Individual Education Plans (IEPs). And the Ontario government could be encouraged to add pagers to the list of devices funded through the Assistive Devices Program “We hope this technology will eventually assist deaf students to reach their maximum potential, “says Mayer.

-30-

York University is the leading interdisciplinary teaching and research university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges.

For further information, please contact:

George McNeillie, Assistant Director, Media Relations, York University, (416) 736-2100 x22091/

gmcneil@yorku.ca