Making your classroom inclusive to students with disabilities is an easy thing to do if you take the time to and remain open and flexible. Remember that you cannot “assume” a student has a disability, and that a disability can be visible or invisible, cognitive or physical, and there is no “one size fits all” solution.
Things to know before about disability support services on campus are as follows:
- Students must submit an accommodation form before any accommodations or modification are made for the students.
- If a student provides you with disability related documentation other than the Accommodation Form and is requesting accommodations, please refer him/her to Disability Support Services.
- Please do not accept behavior that is disruptive to the learning environment, from any student, including students with disabilities. If you have a student with a disability with behavioral problems, please contact Disability Support Services, we can work with you to address the situation.
- It is highly recommended that you provide the following statement in your syllabus: Students with documented disabilities who believe they may need accommodation(s) in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services in order to ensure that such accommodations are accomplished in a timely matter.
- Lowell Campus
City Building, 3rd floor
978-656-3258 (on-campus x3258) - Bedford Campus
Building 9, 2nd floor
781-280-3630 (on-campus x3630)
- Lowell Campus
Creating an Inclusive Classroom
- Have a discussion with students at the beginning of the semester that you are striving to have an inclusive classroom, and discuss what that means to you and what that means to your students
- Discuss seating arrangements with the class in order to accommodate students with reasonable requests
- Make sure your classroom texts and materials are up to date with the latest research and terminology (ex. Autism Spectrum)
- Allow students to openly share their experiences
- Allow students to share cultural artifacts when and if they feel comfortable doing so
- Consider the language you use when discussing terminology or classifications and educate the class on why the language is used and what it means in the context of the discussion (i.e. “disorder,” “retardation,” “abnormal,” “mutation,” etc.)
- Use a variety of examples and allow the entire class to consider diverse perspectives outside of their own experiences
- Do not rely solely on the student to educate the class about the issued faced by people with disabilities
- Do not make assumptions about a person or their experiences based on their disability
Resources
More Teaching Tips from Disability Support Services
Modifications for Students with Disabilities
Interacting with a Student with a Disability
For more information contact Disability Support Services or visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/disabilityservices
Creating a Culture of Belonging 