Addressing Students' Needs: Students with Disabilities

By L. Giovanetto.

The National Council on Disabilities (http://www.ncd.gov) reports that nearly 10 percent of college students have some kind of disability. Your department or university will have specific offices or individuals as well as guidelines for helping students who require additional services. For specific situations, making any necessary accommodations should be accomplished with the help of supporting university and departmental services, fellow teachers, and the student.

Every student in your class has a different set of strengths. Students with disabilities are there to learn. You should create a positive classroom environment that seeks to fully include all students. Make clear at the beginning of the course that you want to work with every student's strengths and weaknesses, and that you are happy to talk to any students about accommodations.

Some students in your class may have physical disabilities. These include but are not limited to visual or hearing impairments and issues with mobility. For students with visual or hearing impairments, you might need to make certain course material available in different mediums. Lab work can be more complicated. However in lab groups, students are usually given different tasks, some of which will be less dependent on physical constraints. It is important to allow students to experience the course work in similar ways to each other whenever possible.

Learning disabilities can take the form of developmental speech disorders, language disorders, or academic skills disorders such as dyslexia. Classroom assistants or special technology may be necessary in some cases. Since learning disabilities vary in kind and intensity, some students may not even be aware they have them. Most students develop coping methods which can often be effective. Some students may be reticent to talk to you about these issues. Creating an open classroom environment is key.