Learning difficulties and/or disabilities

Getting it right for all learners means adhering to the following

  • Making use of the information you have gathered through initial assessment to work out what approaches will best suit the members of your group. (Not all learners will declare a disability and difficulties may only emerge once your course has started. Be alert to the possibility that someone may be struggling because of hearing loss or poor vision or some other impairment or disability).
  • Familiarising yourself with the different types of support that would be appropriate for learners with different types of learning difficulty or disability.
  • Thinking about:
    • how you might adjust your own teaching style
    • how you might design and organise activities so that everyone can take part
    • how to introduce activities so that everyone understands what they are about
    • how to include disabled learners from different cultural backgrounds or racial groups
    • how to present printed resources so that everyone can read them
    • whether or not special equipment would help; and
    • whether additional help from another person might be useful.
  • Considering ways in which learners may be able to work together at some points during sessions, while having their individual needs met at other times.
  • Capturing all of these intentions on your scheme of work and your session plans.

An example of good practice and an example of what to avoid.

Good practice

I have tunnel vision. Viv keeps me at the front of the class and always comes and stands right in front of me when she does the demonstrations. If there's something I don't get the hang of, I can always ask her to come back and show me again, till I've got it right.

John, learner, Martial arts.

Unacceptable practice

I joined a Numeracy class with hearing people. I was told they would be able to give me the support I needed. Sure enough, they got the tutor to wear a conversor, but the guy had absolutely no deaf awareness. He had a large moustache and a beard, so I couldn't lip-read him at all. And as for the microphone, well the beard came right down to his chest, so all I could hear was the beard scratching on the microphone. I started off confident, but gradually got further and further lost. I didn't like to say anything, because I thought he might take offence. In the end, I left. It was a pity really, because I wanted to improve my maths to get a job.

Tanya, learner, Numeracy.

For more information on working with learners with disabilities, read New Rights to Learn: a tutor guide to teaching adults after the Disability Discrimination Act, Part 4, published by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), 2003.

Visit the National Teaching and Learning Change Programme Information and Communication Technology Dictionary website. This ICT dictionary is aimed at deaf students, their Communication Support Workers and interpreters, and anyone else interested in learning signs for ICT terms.