DAISY, which stands for Digital Accessible Information System, is a standard markup language used in creating accessible digital talking books. The standard allows users with print disabilities to efficiently navigate and access book content.
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) are documents developed by school personnel to help guide interventions for students in special education. Well-written IEPs and IFSPs for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) can be used to effectively guide instruction and track academic progress. Both itinerant and classroom teachers can play important roles in developing these documents.
Since each student's accommodation needs are unique and the student is often most knowledgeable about effective accommodations, be sure to talk with the student about what accommodations they might need.
Some specific accommodations that might be useful to a student with a health impairment in a science lab include the following:
Access For All (AFA) is a student organization at the University of Minnesota-Duluth made up of individuals interested in disability rights and issues. AFA hosts a series called "I am who I am" which features an individual from the community who has a disability speaking at a campus forum each month. The speakers share information about their disabilities, employment issues, accommodations, challenges, and successes.
The speaker series serves to
The National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NCBYS) web portal is designed to provide educators, parents and students (who are themselves blind or otherwise visually impaired) the tools and knowledge they need to overcome barriers related to accessing science curriculum and labs. Created by the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the goals of the NCBYS are comprised of the following items:
Podcasts will pose a barrier to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing unless the information is made available in an accessible format. For audio-only podcasts, consider posting a transcript on your course website; this document will also be of value to students who are not deaf. Podcasts that include video can be captioned. Be sure to make transcriptions and captions available in a timely manner.
Technology has become an invaluable tool for many students, including those with learning disabilities such as Dyslexia. However, as explained by Dale Brown in the LD OnLine article Dyslexia and the Challenge of Using Today's Technology, technology also presents new challenges for some students. Problems reported include the following:
A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and an internal portion that is surgically placed under the skin. An implant includes the following components:
The training and resource needs of distance learning professionals regarding how to make courses welcoming and accessible to students with disabilities depends on their respective roles. Key stakeholder groups include program administrators, course designers, instructors, and evaluators. Training for these individuals should be tailored to their unique needs and may include content related to access challenges for people with disabilities, legal requirements, accessibility guidelines/standards, design techniques, and resources.
Many students have difficulty seeing the connections between the separate and distinct subjects presented in school. Students at all ability levels often ask, "Well, what does this have to do with that?" They wonder what the purposes of certain lessons or even entire subjects are. When students also struggle with a learning disability, which can make communication and comprehension even more challenging, it is no wonder they often disengage from the classroom.