Teachers' obstacles and supports in distance learning education for students who are deaf and hard of hearing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi teachers of deaf students say the biggest online barrier is relying on one communication mode or having no training.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Alrubaian (2025) asked 68 Saudi teachers about teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students online. The survey covered four areas: tech platforms, communication, teaching methods, and training.
Teachers who used only one way to communicate and those with little training reported the most problems.
What they found
Every teacher listed barriers. Platform glitches, poor captions, and slow internet topped the tech list. Communication hurdles included unclear signs and muffled speech.
Less-trained staff felt lost. Single-mode communicators struggled most. Mixing speech, signs, and text helped.
How this fits with other research
Alothman et al. (2024) found the same pattern with Saudi moms of kids with autism. City families adapted faster; remote families hit steeper walls. Both studies flag that location and prep matter.
Daulay (2021) heard the same from Indonesian mothers running home school during COVID. Burden spiked when parents lacked structure and respite. Teachers echo that feeling.
Waldron et al. (2023) show a brighter side: Saudi special-ed teachers rate their inclusive skills higher than general-ed peers. The new survey adds that extra training, not just title, predicts who copes online.
Why it matters
Before your next Zoom session, test two communication channels at once, for example, speech plus real-time captions or sign plus chat. Schedule a ten-minute tech check with the student to pick the clearest mix. Push admin for micro-training videos you can watch between classes; even thirty-minute clips cut reported barriers.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: This study investigated teachers' perceptions of the obstacles facing students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and the support they believe is needed to overcome these obstacles in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was employed, and sixty-eight teachers from all educational stages were surveyed. The survey focused on four areas: platforms, communication, teaching, training, and collaboration. Data were collected using the Saudi Arabian Teachers in Deaf Education (SSAT) questionnaire and analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including factor analysis, an independent sample test, and a one-way ANOVA test. RESULTS: The findings indicated that most teachers of DHH students reported all four areas as barriers in distance learning. Also indicated that teachers have a great need for support, assistance and training in all areas related to distance learning education, namely technical support, professional development and collaboration. Additionally, a higher level of obstacles in distance learning education was reported among teachers who use a single method of communication with students (sign language or spoken language) compared to those who use multiple methods (total communication). There was also a higher level of obstacles among those teachers with lower training levels in all the aforementioned areas except for teaching, while no differences in obstacles were found among teachers based on the degree of disability of their students (from deaf to hard of hearing). It is thus recommended further support and training for teachers to ensure high-quality education for DHH students.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105086