Adaptations for an Inclusive Classroom

Classroom Layout

• Before your students arrive for the academic year, set up your classroom in a way that encourages a strong community and active learning environment. Divide your class into learning stations so students know where materials are located. Set up the desks or tables in a way all of your students can negotiate. In an inclusive classroom, children with disabilities and those without benefit from interacting with one another, so place tables and desks close together to encourage group work and structured partner activities.

Visual Impairments

• Children with visual impairments need special adaptations in your classroom. Use large fonts and images for any displays on your walls or chalkboard. For students who are blind, allow room for a guide dog to sit near them if need be. Print out learning materials, or provide students with books in Braille. Record books on tape, and keep them in your classroom library so students with visual impairments can read books on their own.

Hearing Impairments

• You can adapt your classroom to meet the needs of students with hearing impairments in a variety of ways. Place the desks of students with hearing impairments near the front of the room so they are closer to you when you are teaching. They are more likely to hear you, and this minimizes the background noise from other students in your classroom. Encourage the use of American Sign Language (ASL) in your classroom community by posting pictures of simple gestures and words throughout your room. This encourages your typically developing students to communicate with others using ASL.

Mobility Disabilities

• Students with mobility disabilities may require the use of a wheelchair or crutches to get around your classroom. Make sure to set up desks and chairs in a way that allows a clear path wide enough for a wheelchair. Check to see if students can negotiate the route to other important classroom areas like the sink, the door and your desk. For students who have difficulty walking, include various chairs that are easy to get in and out of at your reading corner and, if you teach young children, near your circle-time area.