Stockton Federation of Teachers (SFT) Techniques for Students with Invisible Disabilities

Background “You may look at a student and say, you know, you look like every other student in the class, what do you mean you need note-taking? What do you mean you need extra time on the test? It might not be apparent to a faculty member that a student has a disability, but that disability may impact their participation in the class (doit@uw.edu; www.uw.edu/doit/).”

What Do We Mean by “Invisible” Disabilities? Many students who have learning differences or difficulties that adversely affect their education face barriers to getting the support they need in educational settings. Invisible disabilities may affect the way a student processes, retains, and communicates information. A student may not be able to screen out distractions, making it hard to focus; may not have the stamina for a full class load; or may not be able to interact well with others. Anxiety may make it difficult to take tests or to approach professors with questions. All people experience their disabilities uniquely (doit@uw.edu; www.uw.edu/doit/). Sometimes, students with invisible disabilities are perceived as lacking in intelligence, or as not paying attention or lazy or someone who do not want to do work.

Examples of “Invisible Disabilities” Invisible disabilities are the most common type of disability among college students. They are: Learning Disabilities Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Asperger’s/High-Functioning Autism Some forms of Epilepsy Mental Health Conditions (i.e., Anxiety, Reactive Attachment Disorder) Dyslexia/Dysgraphia Gifted students with additional exceptionalities Sensory Processing/Integration Disorders Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders Anxiety, OCD, etc. Disability is simply one of the many things about the student. All students have strengths and talents and different way of perceiving, processing and expressing information. Focus is to level playing field by providing accommodations.

Possible Reasons for Refusing Services and Accommodations Educators view the disability as: a “behavior,” in the sense that the student is in control of the problem and can just stop doing it – if he/she wanted to. The student is considered lazy, unmotivated, or rebellious. The student is just not “paying attention.” Some educators do not believe in some disabilities such as Bipolar Disorder or ADHD. However as an educator we have to remember to support our students in our class as best as we can. Disability is simply one of the many things about the student. All students have strengths and talents and different way of perceiving, processing and expressing information. Focus is to level playing field by providing accommodations.

Accommodations College Student with disabilities may or may not require accommodation. It is college students responsibility to self-disclose, provide documentation, and request accommodation. To level playing field by providing accommodations.

Accommodations Instructional accommodations are changes made to the delivery of classroom instruction or to the accompanying materials. An accommodation to the curriculum does not change the content (i.e., social studies) nor the concept difficulty (i.e., compare and contrast the causes of the Revolutionary War). Accommodation changes the input and/or output method used by the faculty and/or student related to the instructional outcome

Accommodations Accommodations can include: Alternative acquisition modes Content enhancements Alternative response modes

Accommodations: Alternate Acquisition Modes and Content Enhancements Alternative Acquisition Modes video tape audio tape computer readers Interpreters Braille, etc. Content Enhancements Chapter Outlines/Power Point advance organizers visual displays study guides mnemonic devices peer mediated instruction computer assisted instruction

Accommodations: Alternate Response Modes Alternative Response Modes oral response or written response Create Posters; Debate; Projects, etc. Use of notecards and post it for responses Technology (Polls Everywhere; Apps; etc.) computer/word processing

Possible Solution Universal Design for Learning (UDL): strives to ensure that the learning environment promotes learning and removes barriers (www.cast.org); Universal design of learning (UDL) ensures that curriculum and courses utilize multiple means of representation (video, lecture, etc.), expression (paper, presentation, etc.), and engagement. In a higher education environment, UDL principles can be applied to physical spaces, technology, student services, and instruction; For example: have policies and procedures that ensure access to facilities, printed materials, computers, and electronic resources for all learners,

Examples of UDL practices include arranging seating so that everyone has a clear line of sight welcoming students by name, avoiding stigmatizing a student by drawing undue attention to a difference, using large, bold fonts with high contrast on uncluttered overhead displays and speaking aloud all content, providing multiple ways to gain and demonstrate knowledge and using multiple senses, avoiding unnecessary jargon and defining terms, providing scaffolding tools (e.g., an outline), selecting materials early, providing materials in accessible formats, providing opportunities for submitting drafts, testing in same manner in which you teach,

Possible Solution: Assistive Technology Assistive Technology Device: .. any item, piece of equipment or product that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Low-tech Post its or Note cards Graphic Organizers adapted books slant board to write highlighters, tape magnifiers color coding sign language Colored papers Large printed content extra time peer support Mid-Tech word processor text to speech spell checker calculator digital recorders timers organizers e-books adapted keyboard adapted mouse adapted toys High-Tech computer smart phones smart pens PDAs magnification software speech output devices switch, joystick access scanning access voice recognition environmental control devices

Possible Common Solutions Some accommodations may include: seating near the door to allow taking breaks; alternative note taking: tape recorder, note taker, or a copy of instructor’s notes; and early availability of syllabus and textbooks. Assignment accommodations include advance notice, additional time for completion, feedback and assistance in planning workflow, choice of written or oral presentation or creating a project, etc., Accommodations for exams include alternate format: multiple choice, essay, oral, presentation, role-play, or portfolio; use of adaptive computer software such as speech recognition; extended time for test-taking; taking tests in a separate, non-distracting room; and a scribe, reader, or word processor for exams.

Resources Invisible Disability Information: http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/invisible/ How to create a welcoming environment: https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/handout_tips_and_techniques_to_provide_a_welcoming.pdf Invisible Disability Awareness: https://invisibledisabilities.org/blogs/invisible-disabilities-awareness/ Center for Universal Design: www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud Basic overview video of UDL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTShQyw3m80 UDL: Principles and Practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGLTJw0GSxk UDL guidelines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfsx3DGpv5o CAST: www.cast.org National UDL Center: www.udlcenter.org National UDL Task Force: www.udl4allstudents.org Assistive Technology: http://www.augsburg.edu/class/groves/assistive-technology/everyone/