Academic Activity

Strategies for working with students who have specific disabilities can be found in the following areas of this website:

• Blindness.
• Low vision.
• Hearing impairments.
• Mobility impairments.
• Learning disabilities.
• Health impairments.
• Psychiatric/mental health impairments.

These disabilities may or may not affect the participation of a student in your class. Specific accommodations often vary by academic activity. Some students may need multiple accommodations to meet requirements in various lecture, lab, discussion, and fieldwork activities. Flexibility and effective communication between the students, parents, support staff and instructors are key to implementing successful accommodations.

Although accommodations vary based on student needs, course content, information, resources, and physical facilities, it is useful for teachers to be aware of accommodation strategies commonly used for specific academic activities. With this basic knowledge you will be better prepared to ask students to clarify their needs and to discuss accommodation requests.

Sub-sections of this area of The AccessSTEM website are organized around academic activities. Within each section you'll find examples of accommodations, case studies, frequently asked questions, and resources. Choose one of the following sections to learn more about accommodations in specific academic activities:

• Large lectures.
• Group work/discussions.
• Test taking.
• Fieldwork.
• Science labs.
• Computer labs (facilities).
• Computers (adaptive technology).
• Web pages.
• Distance learning courses.
• Writing assignments.
• International travel programs.
• Work-based learning.

For more information consult the DO-IT publications Universal Design of Instruction: Definition, Principles, and Examples and Working Together: Science Teachers and Students with Disabilities.