Reflections: Standard Four

 

Much of the time students with special needs accommodations at times goes almost unnoticed. Special needs students are an inconvenience to classrooms learning pathways including online classrooms because faculty are required to do more work to apply special learning styles to support their needs.  Fully abled students must take extra time to adjust to disabled students’ behavior and their response to student with needs as well.  Since the emerging focus on accommodating students with needs is growing and the state of California is foraging deeper into revamping and toughening compliance and monitoring its effect, then establishing more severe consequences for colleges who disregard tougher laws.  Disabled student support departments are coming under more scrutiny and increased pressure to provide better and more sensible support to faculty and students.  

 

The artifacts you will experience in this standard one module include:

• Universal Design for Online Learning: An activity and explanation videos on what the term means and visually explains how to design course for it.

• Formative Assessment in UDL: A short student formative assessment  Of Universal Design for online learning and ADA section 508 issues

• Syllabus: A document for all students that includes the accommodation of DSS students and how they can ensure their accommodations are met

• Wiki: A team explanation for better communication and a collective and collaborative project result.

• Journal: A student confidential method of communicating with their instructor

 

I have been using tools for accommodating students with learning impairments disabilities for some time. The artifacts below will give you examples of the course I created and other methods that I use in classes to help raise awareness and establish clearly defined perimeters for accommodations for these students. Certification class for mandatory faculty certification in ADA section 508 and Universal Design for Learning and uses a multi-college data system.   The class accommodates all student-learning styles and adopts processes for helping remain in compliance and heling learners with recognized disabilities.

 

 

 I make sure to reach out to all students to find those with disabilities. Sometimes they are reluctant to identify themselves in an online class but especially in the traditional classroom.  SWC policy reads, "To receive an accommodation, the student must request the “reasonable” accommodation in a timely manner. The student must provide the instructor or Disability Support Services (DSS) written documentation of the disability.”

 

 

 The mandates for online learning classrooms must mirror as close as possible those established for traditional classrooms.  As faculty discover their student’s disability, they are not required to seek out a student who may have visible or "invisible" disabilities.   I do the opposite, ask in the most respectful manner possible, and based on summative surveys given at the beginning of class and watch carefully the work and attendance of students whom I may feel are at risk.