Quanfeng Zhang, Meixi Liu

Quanfeng Zhang

August 23, 2026

Vocational higher education, Inclusive education, Deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, Employment support.

Against the background of the 2026 China-Russia Year of Education, this study adopts a single-case study method to explore vocational higher education (VHE) and employment support systems for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) learners in China, taking Changchun University as the research object. Based on a revised interdisciplinary theoretical framework, this research integrates national policy documents, institutional statistical data, and field survey evidence to systematically analyze localized inclusive education practices for DHH groups. The results demonstrate that China has established a sound legal and policy system for DHH education and employment, with standardized national sign language and formalized disability employment guarantee mechanisms laying a solid institutional foundation for equal educational and occupational opportunities. As a benchmark special education institution, Changchun University’s innovative bachelor-master through-type talent cultivation model and AI accessibility technologies effectively break DHH students’ learning and communication barriers, significantly improving their academic competence and employability. A systematic four-in-one support system covering policy incentives, inclusive education, technological empowerment and targeted employment services has been formed to diversify DHH graduates’ career pathways. Nevertheless, regional policy implementation gaps, social employment prejudice, and curriculum-industry skill mismatches remain key obstacles restricting the high-quality employment of DHH talents. This study summarizes China’s practical experience in inclusive vocational education, providing empirical references and feasible cooperative directions for Sino-Russian special education exchanges, technological collaboration and inclusive talent cultivation.

© 2026, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license