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Deaf and Hard of Hearing

The mission of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services is to enable BYU students with hearing disabilities to fully access and participate in their courses and related activities. We accomplish this by providing communication services and equipment, encouraging personal responsibility for accommodative services, and serving as a campus resource and guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.

FAQ's For D/HH Students

  • Sign Language Interpreters are employees of the university who’ve been trained and legally certified to provide this service. They are assigned to attend student’s classes and listen to the lecture and class discussions—converting spoken English to sign language and what you sign to spoken English. You may, alternatively, speak for yourself if that is more comfortable for you.

    We understand that your needs and preferences vary greatly with this regard and may also fluctuate between classes, with specific class settings, or even within specific activities. Be sure to communicate your preferences with your Interpreter(s).
  • After registering with the UAC and getting approved for Transcribers or Sign Language Interpreters, you will need to use the online scheduling system to request them. You’ll first need to submit a request to create and account in the system. Your coordinator will do this with you while meeting together. After you have an account, you will login to the system to submit requests for these services for each semester.

    For help in using the online scheduling system, see Student Resources below.To submit a request for either of these services, go to DHHS.byu.edu.
  • Captionists and Transcribers (we often call them by either title, Transcribers or Captionists interchangeably) are employees of the university. They have been trained to use specialized software and equipment to provide live speech-to-text captioning. They are assigned to attend student’s classes and listen to the lecture and class discussions, converting what they hear to text which you are able to read on a laptop or mobile device through a live-stream. You may use this system to speak through the Transcriber or Captionist for communicating in class. You may, alternatively, speak for yourself if that is more comfortable for you.

    We understand that your needs and preferences vary greatly with this regard and may also fluctuate between classes, with specific class settings, or even within specific activities. Be sure to communicate your preferences with your Transcriber(s).
  • To enable Deaf or Hard of Hearing students to focus on communication, the UAC can recruit volunteers from the student's class to share their class notes as a supplement to the Deaf or Hard of Hearing student's own notes.
  • Some students with hearing disabilities may benefit from the use of a personal FM system. This is a set of devices consisting of a wireless receiver, which accepts a standard earphone or can use a loop and be sent to a loop-enabled hearing aid, and a wireless transmitter with lapel microphone.

    Using this system, the instructor wears the microphone on a lapel or other clothing allowing it to be close to her/his mouth. The microphone is attached, using a thin wire, to the transmitter which is worn on the belt, clipped to the waist of pants or skirt, or held in a pocket.

Policies and Processes

  • The UAC determines whether a student qualifies for academic accommodations using information from a qualified professional (e.g., audiologist, medical doctor, psychologist) who has worked with the student.

    1. One of the two required pieces of documentation for auditory disabilities is an audiogram report. This should include a graph of hearing test results and may include other key metrics such as word recognition scores. This must be signed by the audiologist or physician who performed the testing to be accepted as documentation of a disability.
    2. The other piece of required documentation is the Documentation of Disability form. A copy of the Documentation of Disability Form can be obtained from the UAC front desk or can be downloaded and printed from the UAC's homepage: https://uac.byu.edu (under "Forms"). This must be dated and signed by the diagnosing physician or audiologist.
    3. Accepted forms of documentation for other disabilities may include the Documentation of Disability Form, a report from a psychological evaluation, an individualized education plan (or 504 plan), or a letter from a medical doctor or counselor.
    4. Providing the UAC with current documentation will ensure that the process of receiving accommodations in future semesters will be as smooth as possible. Occasionally, documentation expires and needs to be renewed. Contact the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Coordinator with questions regarding documentation types.
    5. The need for renewing documentation depends on the type of disability. For auditory conditions that are stable (such as hearing loss that is established as not improving), documentation is good indefinitely and does not expire. Beyond auditory disabilities, general guidelines are established for the following disability types: emotional disorders (documentation is good for 2 years), ADHD (5 years), learning disorders (7 years, or if tested after 16 years of age, lifetime), visual (lifetime, if stable), and physical health conditions (either 2 years or lifetime, if stable).
  • Establish the Expectation

    Communicate with your instructor about making sure all movies shown to the class, or required to be watched by the class, have closed captioning. While he or she should see that specified in the accommodation letter you request from the UAC, having a conversation about it helps to show that it is truly important.

    Request a Video Transcript

    If the instructor needs to show a movie that does not have captions, request a copy of the movie or a link to where it is hosted online (such as YouTube). Then, provide that video or link to the DHHS Coordinator to have a transcript made. This is best done well in advance so you can review the transcript before watching the movie and have it with you as a reference during the movie. Allow 2-3 business days for the transcript to be made. You may request the transcript to be printed or sent to you through email.

    Note: Most video transcripts will be a text interpretation which may contain some verbatim (word- for-word) portions but are not intended to be verbatim throughout the full video. If you require a fully-verbatim transcription, be sure to inform the DHHS Coordinator and allow an additional 1-2 weeks for processing.
  • Sign Language interpreters and TypeWell Transcribers are available for students who have been approved for this accommodation. Their primary purpose is to provide communication for classes and course-required activities.

    • What are ALD’s and Personal FM Systems?
      1. An ALD is an Assistive Listening Device which receives audio signals from a transmitter. Venues where a microphone is being used (where speakers have been installed in the room) should already be set up to transmit directly to ALDs. The ALD receiving unit simply needs to be tuned to the channel of the transmission, which is located on a sign at the entrance to the room. You may obtain a list of rooms and channels from the UAC.
      2. A personal FM System consists of a lapel microphone with an FM transmitter and an FM Receiver (also known as an Assistive Listening Device or ALD) which can be connected to earphones or can transmit the audio signal to Telecoil-enabled hearing aids. These are normally checked out as a complete set and come with a charger for the receiver.

        The instructor or other speaker will wear the microphone and transmitter, and the student uses the receiver to access the audio transmission.
    • How do I check them out?
    Contact the DHHS Coordinator to make arrangements to check out an ALD or Personal FM System.
    • When may I check them out and when do I return them?
      The ALDs or Personal FM Systems may be checked out at any time that the UAC is open by students with qualifying disabilities who have been approved to use them as an accommodation. You will be required to sign an agreement of responsibility for the equipment and the date by which the equipment must be returned will be shown on that agreement. If you are not sure of the due date, contact the DHHS Coordinator.
  • Important Information:

    1. This accommodation allows you to register for classes for the next semester the first day registration is open to students.
    2. It is ultimately your responsibility to check whether your priority registration status has been granted. Typically, the University Accessibility Center (UAC) sends out an email notification approximately two weeks before registration begins to inform you of your registration date.

      1. To manually check your registration date, complete the following steps: 1) Sign into myBYU from the BYU homepage; 2) Select "Register for Classes" in the "School" tab on the right side of the page; 3) Select the appropriate semester and view your "Registration Priority Date" towards the top of the section.
      2. Remember that your registration priority date will not be updated until a couple of weeks before the registration period begins, if at all. If your registration date does not seem to accurately reflect the priority date, it is possible that the system is not properly displaying your actual date, although you will be allowed to register on the first day. To be sure, you can contact the UAC and ask. Do NOT press the "Recalculate" link as this will reset your date to your original registration time even if the change is not visible to you.
    3. There is no priority registration for Spring and Summer terms. You will NOT receive an email notice for Spring and Summer term registration.
For more information and to access services specifically for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, go to our website at:

DHHS.BYU.edu