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Below are some helpful hints for working with students with disabilities.
Learning Disabilities
Deafness and Hearing Impairments
Blindness or Low Vision
Mobility and Dexterity Limitations
Speech Impairments
Pain and Stamina Problems
Learning Disabilities
- Allow the use of tape recorders
- Ask the class for a volunteer notetaker
- Share copies of your notes
- Make your outlines double-spaced, with keywords underlined or highlighted
- Make all printed materials double-spaced
- Allow students to use lap top computers to take notes
- Allow students to use regular or talking calculators
Deafness and Hearing Impairments
- Direct remarks to the student, not to the interpreter or notetaker
- Use visual media (overhead projectors) as much as possible
- Give copies of overheads when possible
- Face the class while talking (avoid facing the chalkboard)
- Speak clearly without exaggerated lip movements or volume
- Avoid standing in front of a light source, like a window
- Repeat questions and comments made by other students who are not in the range of vision of the hearing impaired student
- Supply a list of technical terminology or specialized vocabulary to the interpreter and the student before the lecture, or as soon as possible
- Avoid walking in front of the interpreter when lecturing
Blindness or Low Vision
- Provide enlarged print copies of your syllabi
- Print class handouts on white paper
- Provide copies of your lecture (if notes are available)
- Allow students to use tape recorders in class
- Allow students to sit on the front row
- Ask the class for a volunteer notetaker
- If an assistance dog is being used, announce in class that the dog is working and one should not talk, pet or whistle at it. However, when the harness is not on the dog it is okay to talk to and pet the dog because it is not working. Also, do not feed the dog. The dog is on a well-balanced diet and could get sick.
Mobility and Dexterity Limitations
- Be sure you have an accessible classroom
- Be prepared to assist with disaster evacuation
- Allow furniture to be moved if it will accommodate their needs
- Provide copies of your notes, if possible
- Ask the class for a volunteer notetaker
- Allow the students to sit on the front row
- When posting grades, place them low enough to be easily viewed by people using a wheelchair
Speech Impairments
- Avoid pressuring students with this disability to perform orally
- During your office time suggest other forms of participation to the student
- Be patient and give the student time to speak without supplying words or finishing sentences
- If you have misunderstood or missed some communication, ask again
Pain and Stamina Problems
- Allow students to take breaks during the class
- Allow students to stand up during the class, especially if this is a class beyond the 50-minute period
Adapted from: Ball State University
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