Social capital-the benefits, such as access to information, support, and resources, that flow from personal relationships and social networks-can play a significant role in the transition from school to postschool life and can be particularly helpful for young people who are Deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This article provides an overview of a two-stage qualitative study that, in the first stage, retrospectively investigated the earlier social capital experiences of DHH university students and how these had assisted their transition from high school to postsecondary education. The second stage explored these students' views on ways in which professionals and parents can support adolescents' development and use of social capital that most benefits their postschool transition. Ten DHH university students whose primary communication mode was spoken language participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the study's findings specific to the role of audiologists generated four major themes: deaf connections, encouragement, specialized assistive technology, and holistic support. Clinical implications of these findings and recommendations for audiologists working with adolescents and young adults are outlined.

University students with disability have significantly lower retention and completion rates than students without disability. A better understanding of the factors, whether institutional, academic, or personal, that contribute to their decision to withdraw from university is crucial for increasing the retention of students with disability. Few studies have accessed the voices of students with disability who voluntarily withdrew from their university studies before completing a degree. Underpinned by the social model of disability, this study explored the experiences of such students at an Australian regional university and the reasons for their withdrawal. Utilising a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven former students who had disclosed a disability upon enrolment and subsequently withdrew in 2022 or 2023. Braun and Clarke's reflective approach guided the thematic analysis to interpret the data. Mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression, were prevalent among participants, often co-existing with chronic physical health conditions or with neurodivergence such as autism and ADHD. Institutional factors were found to have a major impact on participants' ability to sustain their studies as students with complex disability, and were most often the ultimate reasons they withdrew from university. The study highlights the challenges encountered by university students with complex disability and underscores the need for improved support systems and inclusive practices to better meet the needs of these students. Practical implications are drawn, and recommendations for universities to support the success and retention of students with disability are made. Future research should aim to expand on these findings across diverse educational settings.

It is unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) for Australian schools to discriminate against students based on disability. Yet discrimination against students with disability is on the increase in Australian schools, and so is the decentralisation and autonomy of schools. This scoping review set out to determine what evidence exists of an association between school autonomy and discrimination against students with disability, primarily in Australia but with an additional examination of studies conducted in England. It further examined the type of research methods that have been used to investigate this topic. Included studies did not provide direct evidence of a causal association between school autonomy and discrimination against students with disability; however, the findings uncovered worrisome trends suggesting that an association may exist. Examination of the included studies' research methods suggests that a more fit-for-purpose methodology is required to determine the association between school autonomy and discrimination against students with disability in primary and secondary education settings.

For most young people, social capital plays an important role in transitioning to postsecondary education and employment. For youth who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), social capital can mitigate negative effects of challenges they will likely encounter after high school. In phase 2 of a two-phase qualitative study in Australia, we investigated DHH young adults' perspectives on how DHH adolescents could best be supported to develop and use social capital to benefit their postschool transition. Nine university students whose primary communication mode was spoken language participated in semistructured interviews, discussing practical ways educators and families could assist DHH high school students. We close by recommending ways schools and families can facilitate social capital development of DHH adolescents in preparation for postsecondary education and employment. Importantly, this research gives voice to young DHH adults with the objective of improving DHH adolescents' outcomes.

Classroom engagement can be problematic for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH), but is essential to ensure that they can reach their best educational and postschool outcomes. This study used semi-structured interviews to explore the self-perceived barriers and facilitators to classroom engagement for 16 DHH students educated in mainstream primary school settings. The interviews consisted of a series of questions and a card-sorting activity. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes were generated from the thematic analysis. Barriers to engagement were considered as a single theme, while facilitators to engagement were divided into three themes of student strategies, supports to students, and teacher actions. The barriers and facilitators identified demonstrate the range of complex factors that contribute to or impede the engagement of students who are DHH in mainstream classrooms. This information can be used to inform teachers, professionals, students, and their parents about the experiences of these students in mainstream classrooms. In particular, the findings indicate the importance of self-advocacy and the potential benefits of implementing self-advocacy programmes to help students who are DHH manage the challenges to engagement they face in the classroom. The findings also highlight the importance of the consistent use of facilitative teaching strategies by the classroom teacher, and the crucial impact of background noise on engagement along with improvements that could contribute to better noise management.

Social capital can positively influence students' postsecondary aspirations and their postschool transitions to higher education and employment. Educators, families, and young people themselves can play an active role in generating and developing adolescents' social capital. A targeted focus on developing robust social capital could play an important role in the transition planning and support provided to secondary students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and contribute to their success in postsecondary education and employment. A qualitative study gaining the perspectives of DHH young adults attending universities in Australia investigated the role of social capital in assisting DHH students in their attainment of postsecondary education. Ten DHH university students who communicated primarily through spoken English participated in semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis identified social capital facilitator themes on four levels: community, school, family, and individual. In addition, two barrier themes were identified.

Transition from secondary school to postschool life, education, and employment can be difficult for young people who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). This population's postschool outcomes, particularly in employment, continue to lag behind those of the general population. The transition education, planning, and practices that these students experience while at secondary school are important to their achievement of optimal postschool outcomes. This paper reviews recent literature relating to the postschool transition of young people who are DHH, including studies that have investigated specific transition practices and student characteristics and their associations with positive postschool outcomes. Taking into consideration evidence-based best practices for students with disability in general and students who are DHH in particular, the authors propose a model of targeted transition planning and practice for adolescents who are DHH.

With Australian disability discrimination legislation and educational policy promoting movement toward inclusive education, the building and supporting of inclusive education workforce capability is of paramount importance. This study investigated how principals in Australian primary and secondary educational settings support teachers to provide inclusive education and what these principals perceive to be barriers to supporting the education workforce to deliver inclusive education. The study used an online open- and closed-set survey. The findings demonstrated that principals in educational settings across the government, Catholic and independent sectors and across geographical regions offered largely similar professional learning opportunities to their staff, and expressed similar views about barriers and principals’ roles in supporting their teachers to deliver inclusive education. Participants overwhelmingly reported that their role in building teacher capability was as instructional leaders and brokers of workforce professional learning. There was a strong indication by principals of the need for teachers’ knowledge and skills to be developed and of the need for high quality, effective ongoing professional learning. Participants reported barriers to supporting teachers to deliver inclusive education, most commonly an insufficiency of time, finances, and access. Recommendations for better supporting teachers in primary and secondary settings to deliver inclusive education are made

Inclusive education workforce capability is the ability of the education workforce to meet individual student learning needs, regardless of educational context. In this study, we investigated the perceptions of 12 principals in Australian education settings on their views about roles and responsibilities related to the workforce’s preparedness for inclusive education. We used thematic analysis to identify 9 major themes and 3 subthemes across the 3 roles about which participants were asked: the principal’s role, the system’s role, and the teacher registration boards’ role. The findings indicated a number of areas of concern for these principals about ensuring the capability of the education workforce in the context of extensive student diversity. In summary, results indicated that principals, systems, and teacher registration boards each have a role in building inclusive education workforce capability, with a coordinated effort more likely to bring Australia closer to its pledge of inclusive education for all students.

Australia has legislation in the form of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) that has the objective of eliminating disability discrimination. The purpose of this scoping review was to determine the extent to which this legislation is achieving the elimination of discrimination against students with disability in primary and secondary schooling. The review reports on the findings of a systematic search of law and education databases that identified 18 peer-reviewed articles discussing the legislation, relevant literature and related case law in the context of the education of students with disability in Australia. Content analysis of the articles indicated the existence of problems in several areas of the intersection between the law, policy and practice. These are outlined under five key themes: inclusion/exclusion, jurisdictions and definitions, the complaints-driven system, legislation clarity and reasonable adjustments. The review concludes with recommendations and suggestions for action.

There are many documented benefits of social capital to adolescents in general, and for young people who are deaf or hard of hearing social capital can potentially have a buffering effect against adverse life outcomes. Using the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire ( Asher et al., 1984; Cassidy & Asher, 1992) and the Looman Social Capital Scale ( Looman, 2006), this research investigated changes in levels of social capital and loneliness and peer relationships of deaf or hard of hearing adolescents before attending a residential camp and then three, six- and 12-months post-camp. The camp was specifically for DHH adolescents whose primary communication mode was spoken language. The study also investigated associations between social capital and adolescents' perceptions of loneliness and peer relationships. Results indicated no statistically significant change in social capital and loneliness and peer relations over the four-time points. There was a significant association between one social capital scale, common good, and loneliness. Implications of these findings are discussed, and recommendations are made for enhancing social capital development within a residential camp experience.

The prevalence of age-related hearing loss is high among older adults. Growing longevity and the older profile of aged care residents is likely to result in an increasing incidence of hearing loss among this cohort. This review reports on the findings of a systematic search of the academic databases CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo and Scopus undertaken to investigate the hearing experiences of residents of aged care facilities. Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Our analysis revealed clear barriers and facilitators to optimal hearing experiences and indicated the importance of the physical and social environment for effective communication. Under-detection of hearing loss and underuse of hearing aids were prevalent. The findings highlight the importance of addressing these issues for this cohort's quality of life. Future trends that may impact on training needs are considered and recommendations are made.

IN AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW of the literature covering the period 2004-2016, the author presents a current picture of the situation of people who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) relative to employment and careers-particularly the barriers, facilitators, and stress levels experienced by working DHH adults. First, an overview is provided of findings from recent reports on employment outcomes for people who are DHH. Second, the author reviews the literature on employment and workplace barriers, facilitators, and accommodations for people who are DHH, and relates findings about DHH people's workplace-related stress and fatigue levels and the associated issues of job demand, job control, and social support in the workplace. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings, in particular the ways in which barriers to full participation of DHH people in the labor market can be addressed.

This paper provides an examination of how small populations of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students attending New Zealand postsecondary institutions faced and dealt with various challenges in participating in classes, obtaining adequate access to services, and becoming socially integrated into campus life. Sixty-four students completed a survey and 8 were interviewed, providing information about their support needs, learning, and social participation experiences and challenges within the postsecondary context. Findings indicated that access to accommodations that facilitated communication and inclusion were critically important to their learning and participation experiences but were not always available in the institutions they attended. Reflecting recent policy and legislative changes, greater awareness and greater funding support are needed within New Zealand postsecondary institutions of DHH students academic and social needs. This process should be at the forefront of moves toward inclusive education at the postsecondary level, if DHH students are to be equal participants.

Psychosocial factors, including socioemotional well-being, peer relationships, and social inclusion with hearing and deaf peers, are increasingly becoming a focus of research investigating children with cochlear implants. The study reported here extends the largely quantitative findings of previous research through a qualitative analysis of interviews with parents, teachers, and pediatric cochlear implant users themselves in three eastern states of Australia. We interviewed 24 parents, 15 teachers, and 11 children and adolescents. The findings displayed commonalities across the three groups of participants, indicating positive experiences around the children's psychosocial development with their cochlear implants, but also ongoing difficulties communicating in groups of people and problems related to social skills. Some children had little contact with other deaf children (with or without cochlear implants) despite parents and teachers perceiving such contact beneficial. Children attending schools where there were other deaf children valued friendships with both deaf and hearing peers. Adolescence was a particularly difficult time for some as they struggled with feelings of self-consciousness about their deafness and external cochlear implant equipment and worries around friendships, dating, and their future place in the world. Recommendations for practice and further research are made.

This paper provides an overview and a synthesis of the findings of a large, multifaceted study investigating outcomes from paediatric cochlear implantation. The study included children implanted at several Australian implant clinics and attending a variety of early intervention and educational settings across a range of locations in eastern Australia. It investigated three major aspects of childhood cochlear implantation: (1) parental expectations of their children's implantation, (2) families' decision-making processes, and (3) the communication, social, and educational outcomes of cochlear implantation for deaf children. It employed a mixed-methods approach in which quantitative survey data were gathered from 247 parents and 151 teachers, and qualitative data from semistructured interviews with 27 parents, 15 teachers, and 11 children and adolescents with cochlear implants. The summarised findings highlight several areas where challenges remain for implant clinics, parents, and educators if children with cochlear implants are to reach their full potential personally, educationally, and socially.

IN A MIXED-METHODS STUDY, which included surveys of 247 parents and 151 teachers, the researchers investigated the modes of communication used by children with cochlear implants and the role of signed communication in the children's lives. Findings indicated that 15%-20% of the children in the parent surveys and approximately 30% of the children in the teacher surveys were using some form of signed communication. Qualitative findings from interviews with parents, teachers, and children with cochlear implants elaborated on the quantitative findings. While the development of spoken-language communication was the main aim of their children's cochlear implantation for the large majority of parents, many valued the use of either Signed English or Australian Sign Language, which they felt supported their children's personal, social, and academic development. Young people who used sign switched comfortably between communication modes according to their communication partners, topics, and settings.

This article reports the relationships between a large number of child- and family-related factors and children's functional outcomes, according to parental report, in the domains of spoken language communication, social skills and participation, academic achievement, and independence and identity, through a series of stepwise regression analyses. Parents of 247 children who had received cochlear implants in three eastern states of Australia completed a survey on their expectations and experiences of their children's outcomes with cochlear implants. A number of the independent variables were found to be associated, either positively or negatively, with children's outcomes. Implications for cochlear implant professionals, early intervention programmes, and educational authorities are discussed.

This mixed methods study investigated the impact on Australian families of the decisionmaking process and the ongoing (re)habilitation demands of their children's cochlear implantation.Quantitative results from a survey of 247 parents found that parents experienced stress related to the decision-making and rehabilitation processes at significantly higher levels than they had expected pre-implant.Multiple regression analysis identified factors that were predictive of parents' experiences of rehabilitation efforts and stress.Qualitative data from interviews with 27 of the survey respondents elaborated on the quantitative findings and provided insights into the impact on families' lives, identifying the greatest problem areas and potential stressors for parents.Implications and recommendations for professionals working with families are drawn from the findings.