Soundless Success: A Comprehensive Study of Academic Information Access for Hearing-Impaired Students in Karnataka

Abstract

The study examines soundless success: a comprehensive study of academic information access for hearing-impaired students in Karnataka. The data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, survey methods, and focus groups conducted among 1027 hearing impaired students in the state of Karnataka. The results of the study showed that hearing impaired students' information-seeking behaviors are similar to those of normal students. Although, their challenges involve searching for information because they do not have modern facilities, due to the lack of support infrastructures at school. In other words, they are bound to encounter barriers before they can meet their information needs. This causes them to waste much time in the information-seeking process, so they are slowed down in many ways. This study identifies constraints and challenges and suggests ways to improve current digital and electronic information sources and services.