Why?
Accessibility can be built into every component of how we teach, from course design to assessment practices. But why should we consider accessibility in how we facilitate our classroom spaces?
Put simply: we consider accessibility because we want all students to learn. Even more, we want all students to feel valued, respected, and connected while they are learning. This is important because it’s what each learner deserves, but also because all learners learn better when they feel that way. Every student has a right to equitable access to education, and every student learns best when the unique way their body and mind works is appreciated and anticipated in the classroom environment.
When we consider accessibility in our classroom facilitation, more of our students will be able to understand and remember what we’re teaching; more students will show engagement in classroom activities; more students will be able to share their prior knowledge and demonstrate the new knowledge they are gaining; and more students will be able to contribute respectfully to their classroom community.
How?
The accessible classroom facilitation strategies shared here are guided by the following three teaching priorities:
- Challenging internalized ideas of “normal” that may unintentionally exclude some bodies, minds, or life experiences.
- Building as much choice and flexibility as possible into learning activities so that students can take charge of their own learning process.
- Recognizing that many students have experienced exclusion around the way their body and/or mind works in past school environments, and may bring those experiences and emotions to your classroom.
We have an opportunity to create a more inclusive, welcoming, and respectful learning experience for students with disabilities. Though there are countless ways to do this, here are some initial ideas about things to try.
Prioritize “trust-building” as an essential element of effective learning
Trustworthy relationships between teachers and students, and between students themselves, are a major predictor of effective learning. How can we put trust-building first in our classrooms?
- Some first steps
Teaching strategy For example… In the first five weeks of the semester, build in lots of opportunities for students to get to know each other and help each other out in their learning process. Facilitate a get-to-know-you activity in the first class.
Include an “introductions” discussion board on Brightspace, and encourage students to share facts about who they are outside of school.
Facilitate a discussion early on where students can share learning struggles, as well as strategies for student success, with each other.
Welcome students to ask questions, advocate for their needs, and suggest ways of carrying out classroom activities that are more accessible. “That’s a great point, [Student Name], I really appreciate you pointing out that barrier. I wonder how we could do this differently...”
“Don’t apologize for asking, [Student Name]! Questions are how all of us learn, and I’m sure somebody else was wondering that, too.”
In the first class: “I want to let all of you know that I love it when you ask questions or suggest ways to make this class more accessible for you. I do my best to be proactive, but I’ll definitely miss things and it’s so helpful when you tell me what’s going on for you.”
When giving an instruction for an activity or assignment: “I do this activity in this way because of a suggestion a student gave me once! I love your suggestions and I always do my best to take them seriously.”
- Go Further!
Teaching strategy For example… If you feel comfortable, consider sharing information with students about your own access needs and emotional experience of the classroom, to model and normalize diversity. “I’m hearing that some of you are feeling intimidated by this task. I know I definitely get freaked out with this kind of stuff. Let’s slow down and figure it out together.”
“Morning, everybody. I’m hoping you’ll be willing to extend some patience to me this morning, I’ve got some real chronic illness-related brain fog and it’s a bit harder than usual for me to find my words today!”
“I know, I know, I’ve never liked role playing either. I always used to hide in the bathroom when we did it in high school! Here’s how I’m going to try to make it less intimidating...”
Model accountability by following through on what you promise students around accessibility.
Make sure to only promise accessibility strategies that you think you can realistically deliver that semester.
After hearing feedback from a student in one class, show up next week with an adaptation ready if you’re able to.
“It's great to know about that access need, [Student Name]. I’m sorry that I don’t already have it prepared that way, but I think I can get that ready by Week 4! Let’s check in about this ongoingly, okay?”
Offer choice in how students participate in class discussions and activities
There are usually multiple ways for learners to meet a learning outcome. How can we loosen control over how students get there, so long as they get there?
- Some first steps
Teaching strategy For example… Tell students that you value many ways of engaging. Give them some examples of different ways of showing up to an activity or discussion. Then, work hard to value and celebrate difference when it manifests! “I’d love to hear what you think about this question. Feel free to raise your hand to speak verbally, or write your thoughts in the chat.”
“I’m going to send you into small groups now, but if you’d rather reflect solo, you can write your thoughts in this Padlet instead.”
If you grade students based on participation, can you introduce alternative ways they can demonstrate participation other than speaking in front of the whole class? For example, you could look for whether they contribute helpfully in small groups, whether they engage in respectful and supportive listening, whether they take leadership in collaborative class notes, whether they do free writes about the topic, etc.
Trust that students know themselves and their own needs best by allowing them to “opt out” of ungraded activities or step out of class without permission or explanation. In the first week: “By show of hands, how many of you once had to ask permission to use the bathroom in elementary or high school? Me too! Well, please know that is not how I run my classroom. You can feel free to come and go, and to take care of your body however you see fit, as long as you stay respectful and quiet for others who are listening or working. You don’t need to ask my permission.”
“You’re about to get an invite to join a breakout room. If you’re not feeling up to small group discussion today, you can just ignore that notification.”
“No worries, [Student Name]. It’s always up to you, however much or little you want to engage with this.”
- Go Further!
Teaching strategy For example… Notice and challenge your own internalized biases about what ideal engagement “should” look like. Do you measure engagement by:
- How many students are sitting still, silent, and focused exclusively on you?
- How many students are making eye contact, nodding, and smiling?
- How many students are participating in discussion according to social norms that you agree with?
- How many students have their cameras on?
- How many students are willing to speak in front of a large group of people?
- How quickly students pick up on instructions?
- Perfect attendance, or perfect punctuality?
If so, it’s possible that your ideas of engagement may be biased against students with disabilities. How might your understanding of who is engaged change if you expand your perception?
Offer structure and predictability wherever possible
Knowing what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how it will happen is an important support for many people, especially for many neurodivergent people. Offering predictability can also support students to prepare the tools they will need to succeed. For example, a student who sometimes uses a cane may not bring that to class if they will be mostly sitting, but may want to bring it if there is an activity that involves walking around campus. How can we give learners the advance information they need to thrive in our classes?
- Some first steps
Teaching strategy For example… Share materials in advance of class so learners know what’s coming and can prepare the right accessibility and emotional support tools for whatever is planned. Post your slides and/or your class agenda on Brightspace so students can anticipate what their participation in class will involve.
If what you have planned for the day is different than usual (e.g. you’ll be using new equipment, going to a different location, engaging in atypical class activities), let students know in advance so they can prepare.
Give students small updates about what’s coming in class so they can feel grounded and prepared. “Let’s take a break now! After the break, you’ll do your weekly free write, and then you’ll have the chance to ask questions about the assignment.”
“Awesome work, everybody. So that you can manage your energy, I’ll be lecturing for another 15 minutes or so, and then you’ll have a chance to move your bodies.”
“Great question, [Student Name]. We’ll be talking about that in much more depth a little later, in the second half of class.”
Where possible, give content warnings for potentially triggering or emotionally intense course content. Over email: “Hi everybody. Hope you had a good weekend. Just giving you a heads up that this week we’ll be talking about residential schools and child abuse. Please let me know if there’s anything you need in order to take care this week.”
In class: “Just a heads up, today there will be a portion of class where we’ll be talking about bullying in the food industry. That part will be right after break – if you need to step out for that topic, I’ll let you know when the moment comes.”
In class: “I just want to say that often students find that difficult feelings come up for them when they do this activity, because it’s such a vulnerable topic. Let’s spend some time talking about how we can support each other around that vulnerability.”
- Go Further!
Teaching strategy For example… Do what you can to avoid “surprising” students on purpose. If “demonstrating one’s knowledge on the spot” is not a learning outcome for your course, then it’s a good idea to consider changing or removing learning activities or assessments (for example, pop quizzes, calling on students who don’t have their hands up, etc.) that are more about measuring one’s ability to cope with surprise than one’s grasp on the information.
Provide clear expectations for activities. Build in lots of time for students to seek clarity on the activity so they can make sense of the learning in their own way. Take feedback for the future from moments where one or more students seem confused by instructions. Work to make those moments clearer in preparation for the next semester.
Notice how rushing through course content might unintentionally discourage students from seeking clarity.
Challenge the tendency to label students who are asking a lot of clarifying questions as “difficult” or “oppositional”. See what you can do to mentally reframe question-asking as a sign of engagement and investment in learning.
Consider whether your class activities rely on limiting assumptions about how bodies and minds should work
It’s easy to fall into the habit of designing activities based on our personal idea of “normal”. How can we challenge that bias and imagine how our plans could be experienced by learners whose bodies or minds work differently than our own?
- Some first steps
Teaching strategy For example… Think through the whole activity in your mind. What physical and/or mental processes are involved? Seeing, hearing, moving one’s body in a certain way, holding a pen, remembering information on the spot, picking up on social cues, speaking with one’s voice, etc.
- Go Further!
Teaching strategy For example… Consider: it is necessary to do the activity in this exact way? If the activity excludes certain bodies or minds, is there something you could add or change to make it more accessible? If the activity relies on seeing and understanding an image on your slide, can you visually describe the image when it comes up?
If you are using a physical handout, is it possible to make the handout in large print for everybody?
If you’re using a digital tool or handout, is it is accessible for some to use a screen reader?
If your activity relies on moving around the room, could you reorganize the tables that day to make sure somebody using a wheelchair or scooter could participate?
If the activity excludes certain bodies or minds, is there a way you could build choice into the activity to make it more accessible? If the activity involves listening to an audio interview together, could you offer a printed transcript for people to read along with instead?
If the activity involves discussing something with a small group, is there a way for a learner to do a version of the activity solo?
If the activity involves public speaking, could a learner to submit a video recording of themselves speaking instead?
If the activity involves moving one’s body in a certain way, is there a way to accomplish the task while moving one’s body in a different way?
If the activity is non-negotiably dependent on a person’s body or mind working in a certain way, is it truly necessary? And if so, how will you ensure that any learner who is excluded from the activity gains equal benefit of the learning experience? Can they do an alternative activity? Can you schedule 1-on-1 time with them to go over the material in a different way?
Creating these kinds of “separate” experiences should be a last resort, as all students deserve to learn alongside their peers. Try consulting with an Accessibility Consultant if you’re stuck for ideas!
Engage a diversity of learners by varying the types of learning activities
No one way of teaching will work for all students. How can we “mix it up”, to ensure that every student gets to shine at least some of the time?
- Some first steps
Teaching strategy For example… Before launching into large-group discussion, provide an opportunity for quieter learners for participate. The “think-pair-share” format encourages quiet reflection and lower-stakes interaction before moving to the large group.
Welcoming students to add their thoughts to a tool like Padlet or Mentimeter before opening up large-group discussion can make space for quieter participation.
Build in opportunities for students to get up and move after they’ve been sitting and listening for a long time. Putting learners in small groups with people who aren’t sitting near them can give them a moment to get up and shift orientation. For example, you could assign each student a number between 1 and 4, and put all the “1s” in one corner, the “2s” in another corner, etc.
The “gallery walk” discussion format encourages engagement with course concepts while moving around the classroom. Click here for more explanation of the gallery walk technique.
Send students on a scavenger hunt to explore course concepts in an applied way in different spots on campus or in the neighbourhood.
- Go Further!
Teaching strategy For example… Try to include multiple modes of learning in any given class. See how many of the following you can include in any given class: lecturing, large group discussion, small group discussion, hands-on group activities, hands-on solo activities, watching videos, etc.
Support all students to celebrate the diversity in their midst
Creating an accessible classroom is just as much about the social environment as it is about teaching practices. How can we bring the whole class along on our accessibility journey?
- Some first steps
Teaching strategy For example… In the beginning of the semester, build a group agreement together that includes an acknowledgement of things like neurodiversity and respect for bodily difference. When explaining the group agreement activity: “Because all of our bodies and minds work differently, we’ll naturally find that what works for one person might not work for another. I encourage us to look for way to find creative compromises in those moments!”
Moments of gentle challenge: “I’m hearing a few people mention that respectful listening has to look like total silence and eye contact, but I know that may not be how some neurodivergent students listen. Does anybody want to weigh in on that? How can we expand our description of listening to include everybody?”
Making space for more: “We’ve been talking a lot about how we can respect each other in the way we talk, but how about how we can respect each other’s bodily needs and differences? Are there any physical access needs that we want to name and try to meet as our default practice?”
At the beginning of the semester, or the beginning of each class, welcome students to share their access needs if they choose to.
If you’re teaching in person, make room for students to collaborate around co-creating a classroom environment that meets the physical, sensory, and interpersonal needs of their classmates.
Can students come to an agreement around whether the fluorescent lights should be on or off?
Can students work together to rearrange the desks each class so that a student who uses a wheelchair is able to comfortable move around in the room?
Are students able to commit to leaving a certain desk free so a classmate who needs to sit close to the door is able to do so?
For more ideas around making learning spaces more accessible – click here to visit the Accessible Learning Spaces webpage
- Go Further!
Teaching strategy For example… Notice, name, and gently challenge students in moments where they are expressing ableist ideas. Encourage students to expand their own imagination around what “good classroom participation” looks like. “I hear that you're frustrated, [Student Name], but there are all sorts of valuable roles people can occupy in group work. There isn’t only just one right way of showing up. Do you want to brainstorm some ways your group can make sure labour is fairly distributed while still valuing everyone’s differences?”
“I appreciate your perspective, [Student Name]... I just want to gently name that the word “moron” is considered a slur against people with intellectual disabilities. I understand that what you’re saying is that that politician isn’t making informed decisions – is that right?”
“Before you all run off to do the scavenger hunt, please check in with each other around access needs and make sure you’re doing this activity in a way that works for all. For example, maybe you need to walk instead of run, or maybe you need to take the elevator instead of the stairs. I trust you to figure this out!”
