Abstract The main objectives of this paper are to present the primary results of our study conducted at M.T. Kalashnikov Izhevsk State Technical University and aimed at identifying special features of information perception by hearing-impaired students. The paper also presents the analysis of the experiment results and general recommendations concerning teaching deaf and hearing impaired students. The results of this study make a definite contribution to the theory of teaching students with hearing impairments. The recommendations presented can be taken into account when developing curricula and syllabus for future educators and trainee teachers in order to develop their competency to work in an inclusive education system. The experimental work was aimed at analyzing the differences in levels of cognitive construal while processing information (perception, attention, memory, etc.) based on using digital versus non-digital platforms (paper and interactive whiteboard, etc.). The main preliminary result of the experiments at the moment is the confirmation of significant difference in some cognitive construal indicators of deaf and hearing impaired students regarding memory and information processing skills in reading, as well as in prevailing mental models. The recommendations formulated on the basis of the study results are considered in Pedagogical Communications course at M.T. Kalashnikov ISTU included in Vocational Education curriculum, and we believe it will contribute to developing students’ competency to work with hearing-impaired students in the system of inclusive education.