Distance Education for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Support.
d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing students need targeted family training and ongoing school support to access distance education platforms like Madrasati.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Higgins et al. (2021) asked Saudi families and teachers what went wrong when COVID-19 forced d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing students online. They ran online focus groups and phone interviews during the spring 2020 lock-down. The team looked at the new national platform called Madrasati.
Parents, students, teachers, and sign-language interpreters all shared stories. The researchers grouped the stories into themes about barriers and helpful fixes.
What they found
Three big needs popped out. Families needed fast training on how to help their child log in and follow lessons. Students needed sign-language interpreters or captions on every video. Everyone needed tech support that understood hearing loss.
Without these supports, kids missed class and parents felt lost. The study calls for schools to give families short, clear lessons and to keep an interpreter on standby.
How this fits with other research
Agiovlasitis et al. (2025) extends the story. They talked to Saudi university staff and heard the same gaps: not enough interpreters and almost no Deaf Role Models. The need starts in K-12 and continues into college.
Almusawi et al. (2021) looked at Saudi adults and found d/Deaf people got COVID-19 facts from social media, not official sites. Both papers show the same root problem: official info is rarely offered in sign language.
Almalki et al. (2021) seems to contradict the call for family training. Their survey of special-ed teachers says schools rarely invite parents to join planning meetings. The two studies agree families are left out; they differ on who should take the first step. M et al. want schools to teach parents, while Saeed shows schools often ignore parents.
Why it matters
If you serve d/Deaf clients, do not assume the tech alone will work. Schedule a 15-minute parent walk-through of each new app. Record a short signed video that shows where the caption button is and who to call when it breaks. Share the clip before the first online session. One tiny video can save hours of missed learning.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. This prompted many countries, including Saudi Arabia, to suspend students' attendance at schools and to start distance education. This sudden shift in the educational system has affected students' learning, particularly for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/Dhh) students, who have unique language and communication needs. AIM: This study explores the challenges and support methods for d/Dhh students during their distance education in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A qualitative research study using semistructured interviews was conducted with 37 parents of d/Dhh students to answer the research questions. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the parents' responses: (1) the challenges faced by d/Dhh students in distance education; (2) the specific needs of d/Dhh students in distance education; and (3) the supports provided to d/Dhh students in distance education. CONCLUSIONS: Distance education is a strategic choice, and parents must be informed about how to use the Madrasati e-learning platform effectively by providing solutions and supports. Additionally, d/Dhh students require various forms of ongoing support from both their families and schools to ensure that they succeed and benefit from their experiences.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1177/875687051503400306