Summary

This research project will co-design an immersive game for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children to practice specific communication skills.

With universal screening and modern hearing devices, deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children have unprecedented, yet still incomplete access to spoken language. Many have difficulties with advanced linguistic and social skills. In Aotearoa, 97% of DHH children attend mainstream schools. Almost all have hearing parents, and half are Māori or Pasifika. Without appropriate role models of ‘how to be deaf’, these children may struggle to engage with their peers, leading to social isolation; associated with a range of negative academic, vocational, physical and mental health outcomes.

Preliminary survey data showed that social isolation is a key concern for parents and teachers of DHH children. Building on the existing Talk Town game and pilot data collected via semi-structured interviews with Deaf adults, an immersive game to practice DHH-specific communication skills will be co-designed with stakeholders.

Collaborating with this population brings unique ethical and practical considerations. Barriers to distributing and accessing psycho-social interventions, especially within rural communities, will be addressed. Existing measures of the psycho-social learning outcomes for this resource will be adapted and validated. A mixed-methods evaluation approach will be used to determine the impact of this resource on communication skills and wellbeing in DHH children.

Acknowledgement

This PhD is funded by the University of Canterbury Aho Hīnātore ǀ Accelerator Scholarship.

Generous supporters of the Talk Town project include Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education New Zealand, Eisdell Moore Centre, The Hearing House, Deaf Children New Zealand, New Zealand Sign Language Fund, M.G. Martin Trust, Christchurch City Council Innovation Grant, and National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

More Information

• • Talk Town Game
  • University of Canterbury. (n.d.). Young Alumni – Zoë Hector. https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/why-uc/our-alumni/young-alumni/zoe-hector

Researcher and Contact

Zoë Hector, MAud (Dist.) MNZAS

Supervisory Team

• • Assoc. Prof. Heide Lukosch, HIT Lab NZ, University of Canterbury
  • Assoc. Prof. Simon Hoermann, School of Product Design, University of Canterbury

Research Outputs

• • Suzuki-Kerr H, Leung JH, Hector Z, Manuel A ., Bergin M, Burton-Harris L, … Holt EAL. (2024). Perspectives of early career hearing and vestibular researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2024.2384458
  • Hector, Z. and Morton, G. (2023, August 20-24). Interdisciplinary interventions to support psycho-social wellbeing in deaf youth. [Conference session]. International Association of Communication Disorders Conference. Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Hector, Z. (2023, August 20-24). Designing a habilitation game to promote psycho-social wellbeing and communication skills in deaf and hard of hearing youth. [Conference session]. International Association of Communication Disorders Conference. Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Hector, Z and Covey, G. (2022, August 17-20). The parable of signing gloves: how to avoid designing junk for people who don’t want it. [Conference session]. New Zealand Game Developers Conference. Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Platt-Young Z, Shahri B, Hector Z, Sutherland DE, Hoermann S. (2021, September 8-10). Designing For The Deaf: The Potential Of Technology Supported Social Skills Training Interventions For D/Deaf and Hard Of Hearing Students. [Conference session]. 13th International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies, Serpa, Portugal.
  • Hector, Z. and Lamb, R. (2019). Talk Town Game (Version 1.0). [Video Game]. Talk Town Ltd. Google Play
  • Platt-Young Z, Shahri B, Hector Z, Sutherland DE, Hoermann S. (2018, September 4-6). Designing For The Deaf: The Potential Of Technology Supported Social Skills Training Interventions For D/Deaf and Hard Of Hearing Students. [Paper presentation]. 12th International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality & Associated Technologies with ITAG, Nottingham, England. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/16527.
  • Hector Z, Sutherland D, Gibson L, Platt-Young Z, Hoermann S. (2018, July 4). Talk Town – social pragmatic skills for children with hearing impairment. [Conference session]. 42nd Annual Conference of the New Zealand Audiological Society.

People