Not all students are forthcoming about letting others know that they have learning disabilities which makes supporting these students difficult for online instructors.
Some suggestions for ways online
instructors can support students with disabilities:
- Open and constant communication
o
Feedback on assignments – an opportunity to
maintain communication
o
Contacting a student that is not participating
in the discussions/forums and asking if they understood the assignment or had
any questions
o
Making it clear when the instructor is available
for questions and/or help
- Compassion and a willingness to bend the rules
o
Extension of deadlines for those who need extra
time to complete
o
Working with disabilities services to help
students get access to assistive software
o
Working individually with the struggling student
o
Refer a struggling student to support services
such as tutoring
- Pay attention to course elements that might be problematic for some students
o
Make sure the text is distinguishable from the
background colors
o
Provide closed captioning or a transcript for
videos
- Ask the disabilities services department to look at your course for accessibility issues in order to prevent problems before they happen
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