Strategies in working
with students who have …
Learning Disability
What is a learning disability?
It is a neurologically-based disability which impacts cognitive
functioning and processing. This can include oral and written expression,
basic reading skills and comprehension, listening skills, mathematics,
or problem-solving. Not all students with learning disabilities
have deficits in these areas. Some are gifted in a given area. At
the college level, those who have a learning disability are average
to above-average intelligence. Some students may also have an attention
disorder with or without hyperactivity. It is a life-long disability
which can be less of an impairment if the person learns accommodations
that can be used in daily living as well as in working.
The following are some suggestions that have
been found to be helpful:
- Build multiple sensory information into the
presentation when possible:
visual (outlines
on the board, slides, overheads, Power Point, video)
auditory (repetition of key ideas,
audiotapes that might augment the lecture, sequencing and transition
verbal cues)
tactile/hands-on ( presentations or
demonstrations by groups of students, labs, studio format)
- Provide syllabus with due dates, reading
assignments, additional AV or supplemental materials in the library
collection, descriptions of projects and papers, grading &
attendance policies or rubrics. Put online as well as in print,
if there is a class web site.
- For each class, start with an outline and end
with a brief summary.
- Guided notes, Power Point, or notes put online
at the end of class have improved the performance of all students,
as seen by the Blackboard courses offered in the most recent semesters.
If the notes are online after the lecture, they can spend their
time listening and responding to questions in class, knowing that
the notes will be available later.
- If preparing a study guide for the course (often
done with Blackboard course formats), use a similar format for
what constitutes a complete or ideal answer for an exam
- Permit students to use tape recorders
– Some students recall material they can listen to repeatedly.
They cannot write quickly enough to get all of the information
needed in a brief time in the lecture. If this is an issue, please
discuss other options with the Disability Services Coordinator.
ADD/ADHD
Disorders of attention are neurological and can result in
hyperactivity, inattention, or impulsivity which is severe, frequent,
and debilitating. It can be controllable by behavior management,
counseling, and medication as well as by regimens of exercise. 25%
of students with ADD/ADHD also have some type of learning disability.
- Much of what was suggested for students with
learning disabilities is also useful for students with attention
disorders.
- Time management and completion of projects and
papers are persistent problems for this group of students. Clear,
firm deadlines and models of what is needed can help them develop
a sense of structure they can take to other work. Referrals to
writing and study skill specialists on campus can decrease the
burden on faculty.
- Exam accommodations may be needed to compensate
for the distractibility and focusing on information requested
in answers. Some use earplugs to block out sound or turn their
desks away from their peers so they do not notice others leaving
the testing room.
- Notetaking can be an issue so the information
that is useful to students who have a learning disability also
works – tape recorders, sharing notes.
Deafness and Hard
of Hearing
Many students who are hearing impaired use hearing aids and
lip read. Their speech may be slower and require attention to understand,
but their interaction with others in communication is fairly effective.
Students who are profoundly deaf rarely wear hearing aids because
they are not useful. Speech may not be possible, and they may not
choose to try to speak. They may lip read, but most use sign language
as the main form of communication. For them, sign language is a
visual language that is easy to recall and duplicate. Both groups
of students use all of the visual aspects of communication: body
language, facial and hand gestures as well as written language to
communicate.
- Face the class when speaking. If you need to
write on the board, write, then turn and face the class so they
can see you as you explain what was written.
- Using a set of guided notes, Power Point, or
other information that will be presented during the lecture helps
the student keep track of what is taking place in the class.
- Some students may request a professor to wear
a microphone connected to an FM amplification system tuned to
a receiver or to their hearing aids. These microphones are wireless
so the professor can move freely about the classroom.
- If showing videos or DVD’s, be certain
that they are close-captioned. All of the campus’ TV’s
and “smart” classrooms have closed-captioning output
capabilities. Ask the instructional resource staff to show you
how it works for the set you are using. If the film or video is
not closecaptionned and you still want to use it, arrange for
a time to go over the main points of the video with the student
and give a set of notes on the key ideas.
- If a student needs an interpreter, the interpreter
may ask questions for the student who is deaf. Respond to the
student, facing the student, not the interpreter. You may be asked
by the interpreter to spell a word if it is jargon for the field.
Disability Services staff will provide the interpreters with textbooks
and other materials needed to properly present the material, but
sometimes there are no simple signs for specialized vocabularies.
- Sitting in the front row of the class gives
the student the best chance to observe what is happening, watch
the interpreter if there is one, and lip-read.
- Avoid speaking in low-light conditions. The
student who uses an interpreter cannot see the interpreter and
also cannot see the professor as clearly as is needed to lip-read.
- If discussions are part of the class format,
repeat the question being asked so that the student (and interpreter)
can have time to process it.
- If you need to call a student who is deaf,
consider using email. Email has become the preferred way to communicate
with students who are deaf. It is more private than using the
relay system.
- Students who are deaf and who use American Sign
Language (ASL) may have significant problems with writing. ASL
does not have the articles, tense, voice, or standard syntax of
Standard English. However, when students write papers or essay
exams, they are expected to use a standard format.
- If you are planning out-of-classroom experiences
(field trips, museum tours, etc.) please alert the Disability
Services staff so an interpreter can accompany the student. The
interpreter is hired to be there with the student in all aspects
of the class.
Blindness
and Visual Impairments
Blindness is not necessarily being totally without sight.
People are considered to be blind who have vision at the 20-200
level in their best-corrected lenses. They see at 20 feet what someone
with perfect sight sees at a 200 foot distance. They may see outlines,
colors, have tunnel vision, or absolutely no sight at all. Always
ask the students what they CAN see, and note their response.
- Face the class (or in one-to-one conferences,
the student) to maximize clarity when speaking.
- Give detailed verbal descriptions of what you
are putting up as visual information for the class – students
may recall the description even if they cannot see the object.
- Many of the measures used for students with
learning disabilities also work for students who are blind or
visually impaired: Taped textbooks, reading tests aloud and recording
answers, taped lectures, study partners, and group work with carefully
assigned roles give both access and control to the students.
- All of the web pages and websites that are used
at the college must meet the technology guidelines of the ADA,
Section 508. See the Resources Section for further information
on this.
- Online classes must also provide access. All
of the campus workshops on writing web pages contain sessions
on ADA access. Blackboard now has accessibility features built
into the format.
- The college is committed to giving access to
all who need to use voice input and output software as well as
assistive technology and software that can be helpful for students
who are blind, visually impaired or who have difficulty processing
written materials. Therefore, information that is in print can
be assumed to be accessible if it is in Word (Arial 12 pt. is
the standard scannable font for screen-reading software.). Currently,
assistive software and adaptive equipment are available in E.H.
Butler Library and in the Disability Services Office. Training
in their use is given on request by the Special Services Librarian
(Hilary Sternberg) and by the staff of the Disability Services
Office.
- To enlarge font size to make print more accessible,
use the “Format” button on the task bar at the top
of the screen. On the internet, use the “View button”,
go to “Text size” and increase the size to “larger.”
- Sensory words are not taboo: it is all right
to use “see”, “appear”, “look”,
and other vision terms. Students still perceive, and often the
best word for the process is a sight-sense word.
- Not all students who are blind know Braille.
Some were never taught, some didn’t want to or couldn’t
learn it, and there are not always instructors for Braille available.
- If you need to walk with a student in an emergency,
such as a fire or an evacuation drill, DO NOT lead the student
– offer your elbow so that they can keep up and walk along
at a normal gait. Offer verbal cues on turning left or right or
where there are curbs or other obstacles.
Psychological
Disorders
People can develop emotional or psychological disorders as
a result of severe emotional trauma, traumatic brain injury, untreated
depression, or as a result of an organic brain dysfunction or disease.
With modern psychotropic medications and counseling techniques,
it is possible for individuals with an emotional or mental illness
to live productive and rewarding lives, and to pursue an education
so they can achieve success in a career.
- Reduced course loads are a good solution for
some students with psychological disorders. Being overwhelmed
by deadlines, papers, commuting, social isolation – all
can become more manageable for a student who has emotional needs
if there is a reduced course load. Often funding can be an issue,
but the college and SUNY have designed TAP and other aid with
these eventualities. Going to classes year round also encourages
the student by keeping an acceptable and consistent approach to
daily living.
- Students who have emotional or significant psychological
disorders must meet the same code of conduct as any other student.
They cannot abuse the right of access to the classroom instruction
nor can they intimidate or otherwise put others at risk including
the faculty. It is likely that the student with the true psychological
disability is quite well-behaved and reticent in class. As long
as the student takes the medication as prescribed for the illness,
meets with his counselor and/or psychiatrist on a regular basis,
you may not be aware a student has an emotional disorder.
- Teamwork – support coordination –
has proven very helpful for students with severe emotional needs.
It prevents minor events from turning into calamities, controls
time and mood issues, and establishes roles and acknowledges skills
held by each of the student’s campus support system members.
Often students with emotional needs are diffident, and the sheer
act of telling one’s story or explanation to five different
people at different times can set off waves of panic. Saying the
same information just once, in a meeting, with some of the material
presented by the counselor is a huge relief.
- Despite all of the best planning, sometimes
a student needs to take a leave or go to the hospital for a brief
stay. New medication may make a student groggy or unable to overcome
some difficult side effects. Schedules may need to be adjusted.
Medication may need to be changed mid-semester as a new scrip
may be medically necessary. An incomplete or an extension for
a deadline might be needed.
- It is always a good idea to work with the Disability
Services staff if there is a situation where a student’s
behavior is questionable. The advice and intervention as well
as appropriate referrals can be made by this staff, and faculty
can do the work of teaching and working with the student on class
work.
- Keep emails, notes, and other records from
students if there is a pattern of behavior that may need to be
reviewed. Keep records of phone calls and conversations, and discuss
incidents with the department chair for further advice. If the
faculty feel there is a sense of threatening behavior, ask to
meet with the student with the chair or another faculty member
present.
Mobility and Access
Most students with mobility access needs have obvious difficulties
with maneuvering in the physical environment. However, some appear
as if they have no disability at all. They may be limited by how
long they can stand, the type of chair and table needed for lectures,
an inability to climb stairs, or other problem.
- Students need to have physical access to programs,
services, events, activities, and all other types of experiences
as their peers who do not have a disability do. All academic buildings
are accessible. Additional sites for off-campus experiences and
internship-type placements may need to be developed by some departments,
but solutions can be found.
- Students with reduced manual dexterity or other
physical access needs may need to partner with a student in classes
where for safety reasons a task may be impossible for that student
to do alone. Faculty in these situations need to determine if
the task HAS to be done alone as an essential function of that
class. The ADA’s key phrase of “with or without accommodation”
is very important here
- Advance notice of tasks that may require
some assistance for access should be made to the Disability Service
Office, if a professors knows that a student in his/her department
will need support. Referrals can be made to the Center for Assistive
Technology at SUNY at Buffalo if a student needs to have specialized
equipment to complete tasks. Many students with physical disabilities
are receiving support from agencies that provide evaluation and
training from the Center, at no cost to our campus. If new software
is being used or an upgrade in equipment is expected for the upcoming
semester, it is critical for the student to have training in using
the new technology before the semester begins.
Chronic
Medical Disorders
Some student have disabilities which affect
their health – compromised immune systems, reduced breathing
capacity or endurance, seizure disorders, cancer, heart or other
circulatory problems, chronic fatigue syndrome – the list
is varied and covers all ages of our student population.
On occasion, the student may need to miss
class for what would normally be an unacceptable amount of time.
The student should not be so sick that they cannot attend on a regular
basis. However, there may be enough work completed that an incomplete
grade could be given – it is up to the discretion of the faculty.
Communication with the Disability Services Office and/or the Undergraduate
Dean of Students may help in this decision.
Speech
Disorders (Speech-Language-Hearing
Clinic)
Speech impairments can include a range of problems from articulation
to fluency (stuttering), vocal quality, or strength. Chronic hoarseness,
or esophageal speech after a laryngectomy are additional examples
of speech problems. Some students who cannot use their voice may
use augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) devices such
as speech synthesizers or sound boards to communicate. Those who
have significant hearing impairments, are impaired by cerebral palsy,
MS, or stroke may also have impaired speech.
- Let the student who has the speech impairment
speak at his own pace.
- Making the student feel welcome for office
hours or “safe” in speaking in the classroom also
can reduce the tension that could make the impact worse. Give
the opportunity to speak but don’t make it mandatory.
- In some cases, it may be acceptable for
the student and faculty to communicate via writing rather than
in speech. Ask the student first and respond accordingly.
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