Students with disabilities require some additional care other than what is given to full-functioning students. As a teacher, you may need to position yourself so the deaf students are able to see, and read, your lips at all times. You might also need to have a signal, such as a flash of the classroom lights, to gain their attention at certain times, such as at the beginning of the class session. Some teachers struggle to adapt enough to help out even a single student with a disability, while others rise to the occasion. Mostly, it’s about the approach. Showing care and concern is half the battle.
While people with handicaps may view the world in their own fashion, the fact is that disabled teaching and learning is not a new issue. If you are a teacher of a disabled student, you can take seminars or courses to help you learn teaching strategies for accommodating students with special needs. If you find that you are especially interested in teaching disabled students, you can pursue a master degree in special education at a local university or possibly online.
With a teacher who not only subtly notices, but also adapts their methods to assist the learner, a disabled student can concentrate on the subject matter rather than on other distractions. It’s up to an enlightened teacher to help provide that quality space for their student or students with disabilities, whether the teacher is instructing driver’s education or microbiology.
