UNIVERSAL DESIGN MEDIA: A NEW APPROACH TO USE CLOSED CAPTION AND DESCRIPTION IN TEACHING READING SKILLS TO HISPANIC STUDENTS WITH SENSORY DISABILITIES

This study explored the benefits of media from Discovery en la Escuela with CC and DV to enhance vocabulary of Hispanic students who are deaf/ hard of hearing (D/HH) and those who are blind /visually impaired B/VI). It was posed that by enhancing vocabulary, their reading skill would also be enhanced; as well as their motivation to read. In the intervention, teachers of the HH and of the VI/B explored the previous knowledge of their students and what they did not know about the video content that they about to watch. This strategy aims to provide appropriate attention to the reading needs of children with sensory disabilities from Hispanic backgrounds. Results of this research evidenced that students with sensory disabilities acquired new vocabulary and were motivated to read and to access media with Closed Captions (CC) and Video Description (DV). Accessible media in Spanish open a new alternative to access information that otherwise is unavailable to Hispanic students with sensory disabilities. Based on these results, it is recommended that teachers of students with sensory disabilities, and regular education teachers who have students with sensory disabilities in their classroom, be trained to use this strategy to provide equal access to the information taught.