Adapting PowerPoint presentations for Deaf learners

   

Aims and Objectives

To adapt a traditional PowerPoint based learning resource to improve accessibility for Deaf students and to produce a teaching resource that is as multi-sensory as possible to suit a range of learning styles.

What are the issues for Deaf students?

Many Deaf learners find difficulty in understanding new concepts and  getting to grips with aspects of new learning, in particular those student who are 'pre lingually' deaf, that is those who were born Deaf or become Deaf at a very young age.  Often these students will communicate by lip-reading or for many others; British Sign Language (BSL) may be their first or preferred language.
For Deaf learners, new language, terminology and concepts presented in a traditional text based mode can be more difficult to understand.  Students whose primary method of communication is BSL often find that because English is effectively their second language, assimilating and understanding new information can take longer.  Learning materials created in PowerPoint can offer a useful way of presenting learning using not only a traditional text based methodology but including visual images, hyperlinks and other media rich resources such as video.  This can help many Deaf learners who have a more visual style of learning.  Many Deaf students will rely on BSL interpreters in class who will present information in ‘real time’.  For many students however who need to spend time going over and reviewing new learning, the ‘real time’ aspect of learning is problematic and new learning cannot be reviewed since the interpreter is only there for the student during the actual lecture.  For others, BSL interpreters are difficult to source because of the scarcity of this service or for those students who cannot access the appropriate funding, interpreters may be financially out of bounds. 

It was with this in mind therefore that the JISC Regional Support Centre (South West) Scotland and Janet Jamieson, Lecturer in Design, James Watt College of Further & Higher Education decided to transform a traditional PowerPoint presentation to make it more accessible for her Deaf learners.

The overall aim of this project was to create a learning resource which would encompass all of the following features:

• Images embedded into PowerPoint
• Spoken narration of information
• BSL interpretation
• Text based information
  

Creating the learning resource

Producer
The final product was created using Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 (Click here to find out more about Producer). This add-on for Microsoft PowerPoint can help easily capture, synchronize, and publish audio, video, slides, and images.  This free software provides a facility to package PowerPoint slides, video and html pages together and output as a web page that is viewed through Internet Explorer

Considerations with PowerPoint presentation

• Every PowerPoint slide needs a title as it is crucial to the navigation of the final webpage.  If a visible title on the slide is not required, it should still be added but recoloured to match background colour, or moved out of the slide area so that it is not visible to the eye.
• It is important that text based information is not duplicated on the slide and in the subtitles; therefore information should be included on one or other but not both.
• Images with a lot of detail need special consideration as the end product may be smaller and detail lost.
• Alt tags should be added to all images.
• Design templates on PowerPoint should be kept simple with little or no background images because the final web page is busy enough without adding unnecessary visual distractions.  
  

Considerations with narration

• The pace, length and pauses in the narration are extremely important as the BSL Interpreter will generally take longer than the speaker.
• Consultation with the BSL interpreter about speed, pace etc is recommended.
• A script was needed to match each slide and rehearsed before recording.
• The narration was recorded using Windows sound recorder, with each slide recorded separately (sound recorder limited to 60 seconds per file – but you can overcome this by stopping and starting again).
• Ideally complete recording in one session for continuity reasons.
  

For more information on using Windows Sound Recorder Click here.


Considerations with BSL Interpreter

• It was important for the BSL interpreter to have access to the script and the  PowerPoint presentation in advance of filming to ensure that they are familiar with concept, jargon and terminology. 
• Be fully prepared in advance to make best use of the BSL interpreter’s time.

Consideration with video

• The video was recorded in one take to avoid unnecessary editing and ensure co ntinuity.
• All filming should be taken from the front.
• Ensure that all filming remains within the ‘signing space’ to capture all the mov e ments. For more information on signing spaces follow this link
• Ensure that the background is plain and in contrast with the signer (a lighter background worked best in this instance).
• In the absence of professional lighting, trial the video to ensure that there are no shadows or unwanted effects.

Consideration with html pages

•  These were used as subtitles.  It was important that each subtitle was no longer than one sentence to ensure that the text was always visible on the web page (as many as four subtitles were created for each slide).
• The background of the subtitle was the same colour as the PowerPoint to ensure that it looked as if it was integrated in the presentation.
• An accessible font style was used and can be resized according to user preference.
• When subtitles might duplicate information on the slides they were not used.
  

Considerations with Producer

• A number of templates are available; ensure an appropriate one is chosen.  In this instance the PowerPoint presentation was placed in the largest pane as it was the core learning material.
• A number of saving options are available.  In terms of quality, consideration should be given to how users access the materials e.g. broadband, college networks, CDroms.
  

Analysis and summary

Final product - What are the practical, technical and accessibility issues?

• Control and navigation:  Students are able to choose the element of the presentation they want to go to and can replay any part of this when they choose, this will help support more effective study skills and allow for easier revision of materials
• Accessibility – students can enlarge the text size in the text box sitting under the images (not the navigation text on the left hand side of the page) 
• Owing to the extra consideration the lecturer gave for the subtitles, the final product is more accessible to all learners.
• For feedback from the learners see the separate article by Janet Jamieson.
  

Miscellaneous

• Microsoft Producer for Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 software is free, easy to learn, uses a familiar interface and produces a high quality end product.
• This process requires a team of people to work together: subject specialist, BSL, technical support and accessibility specialist. This improves everybody’s undersatanding of the accessibility issues.
• Don’t try to produce a resource that is all things to all men! Think about the target audience.  As a by product however, this resource provides a multi-sensory learning resource with information being presented using text, sound, video and BSL which will be helpful to a wide variety of learners and to suit a range of learning styles.
• Finally, although this product set out to create a high quality learning object that was accessible to deaf learners working independently it would be possible to create a “cheap and cheerful” product using much more minimalistic video editing. It would also have been possible to create this without a sound track if the target audience was just deaf learners but the sound track and subtitles do add to the general levels of accessibility.
  

Useful links

JISC TechDis case study: Adapting learning experiences for deaf students

JISC RSC South & West Scotland: Supporting Students with Hearing Difficulties

Microsoft Producer 2003

Online BSL/English glossary
Art Signs Website
Science Signs Website
Engineering Signs Website

Webaim: Deaf Culture