Working with Students Who Have Disabilities

As an instructor, you will be working with students who have disabilities. Some may disclose this to you in the form of their accommodations notification, while others may not disclose at all. According to the US Department of Education, 19.4% of undergraduates and 11.9% of graduate students report having a disability. This means there is a significant percentage of the Cal State East Bay student population who does receive accommodations through Accessibility Services, and a significant percent that does not.

No matter whether or not a student has a disability and has accommodations, Universal Design in Education helps each type of learner. So when you create your course with universal design in mind, more students are going to be able to comprehend and engage with your material.

In most cases, you will not know the nature of a student’s status with Accessibility Services unless they are comfortable enough with you to divulge that information (by using our student portal). The request process and disclosure that students have accommodations is initiated by them. Accessibility Services cannot verify whether or not a student has accommodations. The first three sections focus on students who are blind/low vision, Deaf/hard of hearing, and who have autism, while the remaining sections focus on students with other types of disabilities and specific scenarios you might encounter. 

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Students Who Are Blind or Low Vision

A student who has low vision meets the challenge of their disability in much the same way as a student who is completely blind. Even with partial sight, a student with vision loss may experience eye strain while reading, an inability to read certain print, font size, or colors, and may be sensitive to light. For students who are blind, the age of onset may other areas such as mobility, spelling, and written communication.

Some examples of possible accommodations that a student with visual disabilities may require include (but are not limited to):

• Accessible testing accommodations for extra time and the use of assistive technology
• The conversion of textbooks and other course materials into accessible formats, including audio and electronic format and in braille
• Access to a screen reader or screen magnifier
• Note-taking services and/or the use of an audio recorder for course lectures
• Allowance of laptops, tablets, or assistive technology in the classroom

Disability affects everyone differently and the individual with the disability is an expert in their own experience. When in doubt, please ask the individual about their needs or preferences. Here are some general considerations for teaching students who are blind or low vision: 

• When walking with or guiding a student with vision loss, let the student take your arm just above the elbow; please do not grab the student’s arm.
• Do not interrupt a person’s cane traveling, grab or lead a person with vision loss without their permission, or assume that the individual needs help.
• Ask the person with vision loss if they need assistance with printed materials.
• When conversing in a group, give a vocal cue by announcing the name of the person to whom you are speaking. Indicate when the conversation is at an end.
• Do not leave a student who is blind in an open area; describe the area and help them to get oriented to a landmark.

Here are some considerations for supporting a student with vision loss in the classroom environment:

• Let students know what course materials you will be using as soon as possible so that they may arrange for accessible formats.
• Be aware that students may be using recorded or scanned texts or may need materials enlarged. Please work with the student and Accessibility Services to ensure that the student has appropriately modified materials.
• Allow students with guide dogs to sit where appropriate to accommodate the dog. Advise other students to not pet or distract the dog without permission from the student/owner.
• Take a visual and auditory teaching approach and do the same in meetings or other encounters whenever possible.
• Read aloud anything that is written on the board or presented on handouts, PowerPoint slides, or any other visual aids.
• Create text-based descriptions of materials that are primarily visual or graphical in nature.
• Attempt to be specific when describing visuals (e.g., avoid “this” and “that”)
• For fieldwork or field trips, assess the need for safety and transportation accommodations.
• Physical education and recreation courses can be adapted so that the student can participate.
• Courses taught in laboratory settings will usually require workstation modification. However, students may not be able to participate fully in a laboratory course without the help of an assistant.
• Provide clear pathways and directions for the student who is traveling with the use of a cane.
• If relocating for a class meeting, be sure to have someone remain behind to let the student know since a note on the classroom door will not suffice.
• If the classroom or office arrangement has changed, let the student know.

Source: Indiana University of Pennsylvania

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Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Below are both what you should expect when a student who is either deaf or hard of hearing enrolls in your course - as well as how to best prepare.

When students who are deaf/hard of hearing hopefully utilize their priority registration accommodation to sign up for their courses on the first day of registration, the process of notifying you begins.

Approximately ____ days before the beginning of the term, you will receive the following email:

“A student who has a hearing disability is enrolled in your _________ course. 

We strongly suggest that you post your course materials, handouts, etc. to your Blackboard (Bb) course site. This generic tactic facilitates accessibility for students with a variety of learning styles and abilities.

In addition, all audio materials used for your course will need captions or English subtitles. Examples of audio materials are commercial videos/movies, YouTube videos, PowerPoint presentations with audio, pre-recorded lectures, etc.  If your materials need captions, please check with the distributor for a captioned copy.  If a captioned copy is unavailable, you will need to submit it for captioning by placing a Service Desk request to Accessibility Services: Captioning Audio Materials. Processing video captioning can take up to two weeks so please schedule accordingly.

For additional support or questions regarding Assistive Technology and accessibility, please contact us at atstudent@csueastbay.edu.

For all questions relating to sign language interpreting and real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, please contact the interpreting and real-time captioning coordinator at 510-885-7579 or interpreting@csueastbay.edu.”

Upon receiving this email, or preferably when you are designing your course, it's best to keep some practices in mind:

Synchronous Courses | In-Person & Online

• Make certain that all audio materials are captioned (in-course videos, online materials with audio components, etc.)
• Provide additional copies of other course materials to Accessibility Services so we may, in turn, provide it to our interpreters so they are able to properly communicate it to the student.
• Check that the environment’s lighting is adequate for the student to be able to see the interpreters.
• Provide our Assistive Technology Services Office with any media that you plan to use by allowing Blackboard access.
• Try to refrain from turning your back to the class and from covering your mouth.
• When requesting an in-person meeting with a student who is deaf, use our request form to make sure the student has access as soon as possible.
• You may be asked to wear a microphone while lecturing for the duration of the term so you can be properly heard by either the sign language interpreters or a student who is hard of hearing.

Asynchronous Courses

• Make certain that all audio materials are captioned (in-course videos, online materials with audio components, etc.)
• Provide our Assistive Technology Services Office with any media that you plan to use by allowing Blackboard access if there is an audio component to your materials.
  

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Students Who Have Autism

It is estimated by the CDC that diagnosed cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has gone from 1 in 150 children to 1 in 54 children over the last 20 years. As the tools for diagnosing autism have become more effective during this time, so have the ways in which students with this diagnosis are taught. Below are some best practices when working with students with ASD, with excerpts taken from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Kent State University.

• Make sure your syllabus is straightforward and has clearly defined course requirements, along with the dates of exams and when assignments are due.
• Provide as much advance notice as possible regarding any changes.
• Try to generalize and consolidate information.
• Summarize with a focus on meaning and patterns.
• Make sure all expectations are direct and explicit.
• Don't expect the student to automatically generalize instructions.
• Provide direct feedback to the student when you observe areas of academic difficulty.
• Encourage use of resources designed to help students with study skills, particularly organizational skills.
• Avoid idioms, double meaning, and sarcasm whenever possible, unless you plan to explain your usage.
• If the student has poor handwriting, allow use of a computer for tasks such as note-taking if easier for the student.

Some students with Autism are in our College Link Program (CLP) and may be accompanied by an academic coach, however a majority of our students with autism are not in CLP.

Student Scenarios

Below are some scenarios you may come across during the course of the term. Almost certainly you will not know a student's diagnosis, so what you have to go on is what he/she is presenting with.