Lectures

Some students with disabilities face challenges in large lectures. Needs vary greatly among individuals. Students are the best source of information about their needs.

General teaching strategies beneficial for all students include:

• outlines and other scaffolding tools
• large, bold fonts on uncluttered overhead displays
• speaking aloud all visual content presented
• course materials available in accessible electronic formats
• repeating student questions before answering them
• minimizing distractions

Accommodations for Specific Disabilities

The following strategies can be used to facilitate participation of students with specific disabilities in lectures. 

Blindness

Students who are blind cannot see visual aids, class outlines, nor demonstrations.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students who are blind include:

• recorded class sessions
• student use of a Brailler for note taking
• outlines and course materials in accessible electronic formats so that they can be converted to speech output and/or Braille
• speaking aloud all visual content presented  

Health Impairments

Students with various health conditions may have difficulty attending class regularly. They may fatigue easily or have difficulty taking notes. Medication side effects may impact endurance, memory, and attention.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students with health impairments include:

• note takers
• recorded class sessions
• use of a laptop computer for note taking
• flexible attendance requirements

Hearing Impairments

Students with hearing impairments or deafness may have difficulty understanding content presented orally. Students with residual hearing or a hearing aid may require amplification. Other students may need to lip read or use a sign language interpreter. Certain environmental conditions may also impact a student's ability to hear or read lips effectively. For example, hearing aids may pick up extraneous background noise and interfere with the clarity of sound. Poor lighting may make it more difficult to lip read. Likewise, background lighting from a window can cast shadows on a speaker's face.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students with hearing impairments include:

• sign language interpreters
• real-time captioning
• captioned presentations
• sound amplification systems
• preferential seating for optimal listening or lip reading
• providing essential course information in written format (e.g., on visual display or handout)

Learning Disabilities

Some students with learning disabilities may have difficulty processing, organizing, and remembering large amounts of spoken information. Taking effective notes may also be challenging due to poor organizational or writing skills.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students with learning disabilities include:

• note takers
• recorded class sessions
• use of a laptop computer in class for note taking

Low Vision

Students with low vision may have difficulty seeing visual aids, handouts, and demonstrations.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students with low vision include:

• note takers
• recorded class sessions
• preferential seating
• large-print handouts and visual aids
• large, bold fonts on uncluttered overhead displays
• speaking aloud all visual content presented

Mobility Impairments

Physical access to the lecture location may be challenging for a student with a mobility impairment. A student who has difficulty using her hands will have difficulty taking written notes.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students with mobility impairments include:

• preferential, accessible seating
• note takers
• recorded class sessions
• use of a laptop computer for note taking

Psychiatric Impairments

Students with various psychiatric conditions may have difficulty attending class regularly. They may fatigue easily or have difficulty taking notes. Medication side effects may impact endurance, memory, and attention.

Typical accommodations in lectures for students with psychiatric impairments include:

• note takers
• recorded class sessions
• use of a laptop computer for note taking
• flexible attendance requirements

Speech Impairments

Students with speech impairments may have difficulty asking questions in a large lecture. Some students with speech impairments use augmentative communication systems.

Typical accommodations in lectures that can be used for students with speech impairments include:

• opportunities to ask questions via email
• providing adequate time to allow the student to speak

Check Your Understanding

Consider the following situation. You teach a large biology class and a student with low vision has enrolled in your course. You use many visual aids and slides in your lecture. How can you make sure the student benefits from these materials? Choose a response.

1. Provide preferential seating.
2. Use clear verbal descriptions of the visual aids used throughout your lecture.
3. Provide enlarged photocopies of the slides for the student to review.
4. Provide a tactile diagram of the slides.

Responses:

1. Provide preferential seating.
   Preferential seating may work for some students with low vision. It would be important to talk with the student and determine the best seating location and to assure that he can see the materials adequately.
2. Use clear verbal descriptions of the visual aids used throughout your lecture.
   This is a teaching strategy that all students may benefit from. However, it may not be enough if the visual content is essential information for the course and the student can't see the material adequately.
3. Provide enlarged photocopies of the slides for the student to review.
   The use of enlarged photocopies can help a student with low vision access slides or other images if they are unable to view them from a large screen. Copies for review during or after class can help the student adjust the image to their optimal viewing conditions. For example, they can adjust the lighting, distance and position of the image, or view them for longer periods of time. The disability services counselor can help with these arrangements if they are needed.
4. Provide a tactile diagram of the slides.
   Tactile diagrams may be helpful for students who are blind. A student with low vision would not likely need this type of accommodation.

More Information

Explore DO-IT Publications, Knowledge Base articles, and websites on this topic at Accommodation Resources: Lectures. To learn about accommodations for a specific disability, select from the list below.