VDEI upcoming webinars

The Victorian Deaf Education Institute (VDEI) is hosting two live webinars in August and September to provide opportunities for educators and allied professionals to engage in online professional learning. Participants will gain practical knowledge and strategies to implement as part of their work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

​Noise in classrooms, presented by Professor Gary Rance

School classrooms can be challenging listening environments, particularly for younger students who are less able to separate speech from background noise than adults and older children.

In this VDEI live webinar, Professor Gary Rance will present data from two recent studies carried out at the University of Melbourne, exploring the effects of the classroom environment on primary school students, with and without hearing loss. The first of these studies measured physiological stress levels and the second study investigated the effects of the classroom environment (open-plan versus enclosed-classrooms) on listening development and academic progress.

Date: 18-Aug-2021

Time: 4.00pm – 5.00pm

Cost: Free

Register here


Understanding and supporting reading difficulties in deaf and hard of hearing students, presented by Visiting Teacher, Sharron Woolfe.

A significant proportion of deaf and hard of hearing students experience challenges and difficulties with learning to read, despite improvements in hearing technology.

In this VDEI live webinar, Sharron Woolfe, Visiting Teacher of the Deaf with the Victorian Department of Education and Training, will discuss how hearing loss can impact a student learning to read. The presentation will explore some of the causes of reading difficulties and strategies to support reading skills.

Date: 01-Sep-2021

Time: 4.00pm – 5.30pm

Cost: Free

Register here