van den Heuij, K. M. L., Neijenhuis, K., & Coene, M. (2022). Perspectives of D/HH-students on mainstream higher education: A qualitative study . Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education , 27 (4), 385–398. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enac020

Accommodations were not specified. The perspectives of deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students on access to higher education in The Netherlands were investigated.

Thirty-two (32) postsecondary students from throughout The Netherlands participated in interviews. Eligibility criteria included: (a) Dutch speakers, (b) students who were clinically diagnosed as having bilateral or unilateral hearing loss—that is, Deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HH) students, and (c) either were attending higher education or had graduated within the last five years. Students' ages ranged 19–32. Thirty-one (31) participants were enrolled in 18 different higher education institutions; one participant had recently graduated.

Interviews were conducted to understand the perspectives of the students who were D/HH. Three main topics were explored: students’ experiences of their institutions and higher education programs; the acoustic environment at the institutions; and the support from others (lecturers, professors, and other students).

Environmental and personal factors emerged as the two primary themes identified through the interviews, with six subthemes: attitudes toward students who were D/HH, adjustments related to hearing loss, learning environment, coping strategies, social support, and fatigue.