tips for students with disabilities
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7/29/2019 Tips for Students With Disabilities
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WHAT WORKS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Developed by SPSCC students
Keys to student success: RELATIONSHIPS with students; FLEXIBILITY as you and
your students figure out the best way for them to learn; ENCOURAGEMENT forstudents who have challenges and barriers to their educations
Dont ignore students with disabilities. We may have hearing impairments, or be
deaf, or communicated diferently, but we want to participate in school activities
and class just like every student. Get comfortable with diverse methods of
communication.
Educate yourself about diferent disabilities. A great website is https://
www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/postsec.html . It has case studies,
information about all types of disabilities, possible adaptations, and much more.
Many of your students are willing to be resources as wellbuild relationshipswith us and we will be happy to help you.
Please be flexible. Everyone learns diferently. Some of us are visual, some
hands-onevery student in your class really has a diferent learning style, so
please be open to listening to our needs.
Please check in with us. We need encouragement. Many of us have faced
obstacles you might not be able to imagine and have been rejected, overlooked
or ignored by educators. We dont all have great self-advocacy skills. Please
reach out to us, encourage us, and see if we need anything.
We love it when you realize ability/disability is a normal part of human diversity.
Sooner or later, everyone will be disabled and the range of abilities in every
campus is huge. Everyone has challenges in life, and some are more obvious
than others. Were all students here, and we all want to learn.
Thank you for accommodating my learning needs without acting that Im
inconveniencing you or causing a disruption to your class. I do not want to be
singled out or treated as the person who needs all kinds of special treatment.
Many of us struggle with self-esteem issues because of the way society views
disability. Some of us do not feel worthy of asking for help. Please let me know
that I am worthy of your time and attention, not that my needs are causing
aggravation or inconvenience.
WE WANT TO BE GOOD STUDENTS! We want to learn. With your help, I can be a
top student. Many of us just need to prepare in advance, so the more
information you can give me ahead of time, the less time Ill take of yours by
falling behind when I have to scramble to get text in alternate formats, etc. Lay
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out your syllabus in an easy-to-follow, predictable way so I know whats coming
and can prepare. We appreciate organized teachers and classes.
Get to know all your students. You may not be able to ask us if we have a
documented disability, but you can ofer Disability Support Services as a
resource and help me find the o
ce. If I trust you and believe you have mylearning at heart, I will take your suggestions.
Some of us have invisible disabilities or mental health issues we may not want
to expose. You may believe we are just lazy or unmotivated, but there may be
something else going on. Please check in with us and ofer support if you see us
struggling in class, or if we seem very introverted or withdrawn. You might be a
lifeline for us.
Some of our teachers and stafsupporters have made it clear from day one that
they are there for us and will do whatever it takes to help us succeed. We
benefit hugely from this attitude and this communication. We know well be ableto ask you for help when we need to and this help can support our staying in
school.
Some other tips:
Facilitate peer support or study groups: students know theyre a good idea, but
often dont know how to get a group together.
Suggest one of the HDEV Classes: the college success classes taught by our
counselors.
If you have standard tests you dont need to recreate every quarter, you can
send all your tests to the testing center in a batch at the beginning of the
quarter. Give a lot of time for accommodated testing so the Testing Center isnt
overwhelmed and doesnt feel chaotic.
If you have a student who is deaf or hearing-impaired: please realize that
person cannot look at you, the interpreter, and another object (like a book or
computer screen) simultaneously. It takes time to get used to, but students with
hearing impairments appreciate you being aware of the lag time between what
you say and getting the interpretation.
Students with disabilities want to engage in campus activities. Make sure they
know about campus events or opportunities. The Diversity and Equity Center is
a place where all students are welcome and can facilitate engagement in other
opportunities.
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CELEBRATE:
Many students report VERY POSITIVE experiences on campus with caring
teachers and stafsupport personnel, and would like to thank us for our work!
Also, classmates have generally been supportive and helpful.
As one students says: Its like being on the Hana Highway (infamous twisty
rough road on Maui): As long as there are smooth places in the road where you
can catch your breath, you can make it through and take some of the potholes.
RESOURCES:
Disability Support Services: John [email protected]
360-596-5306 (appointments)
Diversity and Equity: Eileen Yoshina [email protected]; 596-5383
Oce of Diversity and Equity website: http://decspscc.weebly.com/
disability-services.html
http://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlhttp://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlhttp://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlhttp://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlhttp://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlhttp://decspscc.weebly.com/disability-services.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]