Faculty Guide: Teaching & Interacting with Students with Disabilities

Faculty engage students in the exchange of knowledge and evaluate whether students have learned the material by creating assignments and exams that allow the student to demonstrate mastery based on course goals, objectives and the nature of the curriculum.

Having an understanding of a disability and common barriers are essential when teaching to and interacting with students whose access to learning and information are different from their peers.

Accommodating Students with Specific Types of Disabilities

Students with Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Often called “nonapparent disabilities”, students with Learning Disabilities (LD’s) and/or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two of the largest populations of students affiliated with DR. Examples of LD’s include Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Math Disorders, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. Students are diagnosed after a battery of testing with results that indicate differential levels of achievement based on age and ability, as well as a significant differential between achievement and intelligence.

LDs and ADHD may result in difficulties in activities like:

Changing from one task to another
Scheduling time to complete short and long-term assignments
Completing tests without additional time
Following directions and multi-step processes
Concentrating during lectures
Understanding grammar or spelling
Controlling impulsivity
Delaying resolution to a problem
Maintaining a healthy self-esteem
Taking lecture notes
Keeping a steady reading rate
Maintaining comprehension and retention of material read
Managing basic math operations
Reasoning and problem-solving

When preparing and presenting your lecture and materials, consider the following:

Clearly link previous lecture to current lecture
Outline main points on overhead
State class objective
Write key terms on overhead
Leave overheads up longer than you think necessary for you to copy
Identify patterns of organization
Make lectures interactive
Make notes available on the internet
Maintain student attention by varying delivery approach
Move around the room
Summarize or draw conclusions at the end of the lecture

Commonly used accommodations for students with LDs may include:

Extended time for testing
Text-to-speech software for textbooks and other course materials
Use of a computer with a spell-checking program
Writing on the test, rather than using Scantrons
Use of a calculator
Copies of overheads, handouts, lecture notes
Text-to-speech or a human reader for exams
Preferential seating

Commonly used accommodations for students with ADHD may include:

Reduced distraction environment for testing
Extended time for testing
Preferential seating near the front of the class
Notetaking support

Students with Visual Disabilities

There are two categories of visual disabilities: blindness and low vision. Between 70 and 80 percent of all persons in the United States identified with visual disabilities actually have some residual and functional vision, and may use a term such as low vision. To be diagnosed with low vision, visual acuity has to be 20/70 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction, or have a constricted visual field (peripheral vision) of 30 degrees or less. To be diagnosed as legally blind, visual acuity has to be 20/200 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction or a have a visual field (peripheral vision) of 20 degrees or less.

Barriers can be the result of constricted peripheral vision, progressive loss of vision, and/or fluctuation of visual acuity. 

Visual disabilities may result in difficulties with the following activities:

Navigating around campus and in the classroom
Taking notes in class
Seeing classroom visual aids, writing on whiteboard, etc.
Reading standard print materials
Finding transportation
Obtaining textbooks in an alternative format and in a timely manner (audio, large print, Braille)

Some examples of accommodations used by students who are blind or have low vision may include:

Large print or Braille handouts, signs, equipment labels
TV monitor connected to microscope to enlarge images
Directions, notices, assignments in electronic format
Printed materials on colored paper or materials in high contrast
Computers with enlarged screen images
Seating where the lighting is best
Audio, Braille, electronic formats for notes, handouts, texts
Describe visual aids (text or audio descriptions)
Raised-line drawings and tactile models of graphic materials
Computers with optical character readers, voice activated computers, voice output, Braille keyboards and printers
Extended time for testing
Use of a reader and/or scribe for exams
Use of tinted glasses for indoors/outdoors

Students who are Deaf or have a Hearing Impairment

Communication access is the most common barrier between students who are Deaf or who have a hearing impairment and their hearing peers and instructors. Some of these students use American Sign Language and not spoken English. They often identify with other people of similar upbringing and prefer to be called Deaf with a capital D. People who became deaf later in life may call themselves Deaf or hearing impaired based on the degree of hearing loss they experience.

Deafness or a hearing impairment may result in difficulties in the following activities:

Listening to and understanding lecture information
Taking notes in class
Working effectively in group projects or class discussions

Commonly used accommodations for Deaf or hearing impaired students may include:

Interpreters, real-time transcription, assistive listening systems, note taking assistance
Face student when speaking
Written copies of any oral instructions (directions, assignments, lab instructions)
Visual aids, visual warning systems
Repeat questions and statements from others
Electronic mail for communicating
Captioned videos and transcripts of audio recordings

Students with Health Related Disabilities

Chronic illnesses include conditions affecting one or more of the body’s functions. These conditions can include, but are not limited to, the respiratory, immunological, neurological and circulatory systems. There can be several different impairments and they can vary significantly in their effects and symptoms. In general, these conditions can vary in severity and length of time, and can be very unstable.

Examples of chronic medical conditions include:

Cancer
Chemical dependency
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Diabetes
Dysautonomia
Epilepsy/seizure disorder
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Multiple chemical sensitivities
Multiple sclerosis
Renal disease/failure

Chronic health conditions may result in difficulties with the following activities:

Navigating around campus and in the classroom
Taking notes in class
Concentrating or maintaining attention
Managing time effectively
Managing anxiety or stress
Missing classes due to symptoms or treatment of medical condition

Common accommodations for chronic health conditions may include:

Note taking assistance, audio-taped class sessions
Flexible attendance requirements
Extra exam time, alternative testing arrangements
Assignments in electronic formats
Communication through electronic mail
Absences due to symptomology and doctor’s appointments

Students with Mental Health Disabilities

Mental Health disabilities may not be apparent, but they can have a dramatic impact on interpersonal and school behavior that affects the learning process. These disabilities cover a wide range of conditions that may be chronic or episodic. With appropriate treatment, many mental health related disabilities can be effectively improved. However, treatment, which often combines medications and psychotherapy, and may effectively stop acute symptoms or halt the downward spiral in some individuals, sometimes causes additional impacts as a result of prescribed medications.

Examples of some mental health disabilities are:

Major depression
Bipolar disorder
Severe anxiety disorders
Sleep disorders
Eating disorders
Substance-related disorders

Mental health disabilities may result in difficulties with the following activities:

Concentrating
Managing cognitive effects or short-term memory
Managing distractibility
Managing time effectively
Managing impulsivity
Fluctuating stamina causing class absences
Regulating irritability
Feelings of fear and anxiety about exams

Common accommodations for mental health disabilities may include:

Preferential seating, near door
Prearranged or frequent breaks
Audio recorder, note taking assistance
Text, assignments in alternate formats
Personal and private feedback
Permit use of computer software
Extended test taking time
Separate, quiet room for testing

Students with Physical Disabilities

The phrase “physical disability” is used to describe a wide range of physical limitations and diagnoses, the most common of which would be someone that uses a wheelchair or other mobility device. Some impacts may be more significant and noticeable, while others are almost nonapparent.

The most common barrier to academic success for a person with a physical disability is physical access. Access takes many forms, from a class assigned in an inaccessible building to the person’s own barriers preventing them from taking class notes.

Examples of physical disabilities include:

Wheelchair users
Amputees
Speech impairments
Muscular Dystrophy
Multiple Sclerosis

Physical disabilities may result in difficulties in the following activities:

Writing, such as class notes and on exams
Sitting in a standard desk
Participating in labs where lab tables and equipment are hard to reach
Using public transportation
Navigating classrooms or buildings that are not wheelchair accessible

Common accommodations for students with physical disabilities may include:

Relocating a class or lab to an accessible building/space
Audio recorder or notetaking assistance
Accessible seating or table in the classroom
Scribe for Scantrons and/or essay exams
Additional time for completing exams

Students with Autism

Campuses are seeing an increase in the number of students who are diagnosed with Autism. Autistic individuals understand and respond to the thoughts and feelings of others in different ways compared to other individuals. Please note that no two students with Autism are alike in terms of how they respond to others and experience the educational environment.

Below are some examples of what one may encounter when working with Autistic students:

The social behavior of persons with Autism may seem different or out of the ordinary
Some Autistic students expect all people to be good, and it may be jarring for them to learn that some people may try to exploit them.
They may not understand jokes, irony and metaphors.
Autistic students may talk “at” rather than “to” people, disregarding the listener’s interest.
Autistic students may talk too loud, stand too close and maintain poor eye contact.
The individual usually does not accurately convey the intensity of his or her emotions until they are full blown, such that the reaction may appear to be far more intense than the situation warrants.
Although Autistic individuals may crave social interaction, his or her unusual manner may rebuff others, leaving them feeling misunderstood and isolated.
Difficulty “fitting in” with other college students (many students with Autism know they are different, there are some students that may have a desire to be “typical”).
Social immaturity (interest in relationships can be appropriate for their physical developmental level, but their social developmental level may lag behind).
Lack of structure (students may not know what to do with much more free time than in high school)
Experience difficulty with classes that are not within their interests (often have preoccupations and they may not see the relevance of “core curriculum” classes).
Difficulty dealing with ambiguity and lack of problem solving skills.
Difficulty getting a job after college (poor interviewing skills, limited knowledge of how to look for a job, lack of references).

When interacting with a student with Autism:

Use clear, specific language (avoid slang or regional terms).
Give specific directions.
Find out the students strengths and limitations and advise accordingly.
Get to know the student so he/she will feel comfortable coming to you with problems.
Help connect students to academic advisor or other professional who can be a resource.
Set explicit guidelines for classroom behavior.
Parents may be more involved in their student’s lives compared to other students.
Communicate with the student’s Access Coordinator if you observe any behavior or interactions that you are unsure of how to approach.