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  • Strategies for Teaching Students with Disabilities

“Our students have many disabilities. Some are obvious such as being in a wheelchair or being deaf or blind. Many others are hidden, for example cancer, a mental illness, a learning disability. Some of our students will become ill or disabled during their time in your class or they are or will need to care for a family member or friend who is disabled or ill. My experience is that with a few accommodations, these students can do very well, even in a graduate program.”


Contact the Office of Disability Services at any time for help or suggestions (disabilityservices@suffolk.edu or 617-994-6820).
These resources are taken from a talk that Richard H. Beinecke, Associate Professor, Suffolk University Dept. of Public Management and Coordinator, MPA Disability Concentration gave.

Quick Tips

Below are a few quick tips for helping to make successfully teaching students with disabilities.

Your attitude is key: Stigma that you recognize or do not recognize in yourself is quickly obvious to these students and can easily get in the way of good learning.

People first: Students with disabilities are people first. A disability is just a part of who they are and is probably not the main thing that defines them. Use people first language such as a "student with a mental illness", a "person with CP", "students with disabilities", NOT "disabled students", "the learning disabled", "the mentally ill". Encourage all of your students to do the same and to recognize the difference.

Treat these students as you would anyone else: They still must do your class assignments and tests, do their reading, and be graded by the same criteria that you do others. They must take responsibility for coming to school and meeting the requirements that go with an undergraduate or graduate education.

Collaborate with your students: Early in the semester meet with students individually to discuss their needs. They usually know best from their experience what is needed.

Use Universal Course Design Strategies for your entire class. Provide extending testing time for everyone. Provide a class note taker in your courses so that all students have an additional copy of the notes at the end of the class. For more information about Universal Course Design contact Kirsten Behling at kbehling@suffolk.edu. 

Put language in your syllabus that makes it clear that you want to support students with disabilities and what procedures they should follow to be sure that their needs are addressed. For example click here

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Designing your course to be accessible by all

When considering the learning styles of all of your students you will quickly recognize that no two students learn alike regardless of whether or not they have a disability. By diversifying your instruction you can effectively engage a wider array of learners, including those with disabilities. Diversifying your instruction is also common referred to the Universal Course Design (UCD) approach. UCD is constructing college courses including course curriculum, instruction, assessment and the environment to be usable by all students, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for accommodations. To find out more about each aspect of UCD click on the following links.

Curriculum Design
Instruction
Assessment
Environment

For assistance with any of these strategies contact Kirsten Behling at kbehling@suffolk.edu. 

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Do's and Don'ts when working with students with disabilities

                                   Dos                                               Don’ts
Make class syllabus available to students during registration period so that students might get texts in electronic format. Do not announce to the class that a student has a disability. Speak to the student privately.
   
Begin class with a review of the previous lecture and an overview of topics to be covered that day. At the conclusion of the lecture, summarize key points. Do not ask the student for documentation other than the Disability Verification Letter from the Office of Disability Services.
   
Highlight major concepts and terminology both orally and visually. If the student has an interpreter, do not speak only to the interpreter. Speak directly to the student.
   
Speak directly to students; use gestures and natural expressions to convey further meaning. Be concise and avoid double negatives. Do not use a grading standard that is any different from the rest of the class.
   
Offer alternative ways to participate in your course (writing down thoughts, speaking in class, emailing you after class). Do not give students with disabilities an advantage or disadvantage over the rest of the class; the idea of the law is to give equal access or equal opportunity provided through reasonable accommodations.
   
Make available handouts in alternative formats if needed (i.e.: 18 pt. font instead of 12 pt.). Do not assume a student cannot do something. Ask them if they can see the board or if they would like help with a task.
   
Provide timelines for long-range assignments. Use excessive auditory and visual aids.
   
Encourage students to seek assistance during your office hours and to use campus support services.  
   
Give sample test questions; explain what constitutes a good answer and why.  
   
Give assignments both orally and in written form; be available for clarification.  

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