Preparedness of the Higher Educational Institutions in the National Capital Region to Accommodate Students with Disabilities
Introduction
The preparedness of academic settings in accommodating the students with disabilities is highly important to provide the mission in equal education. Disabilities among the students include the hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and learning disabilities. The increase in the awareness and supportive action plans plays a significant role to encourage the students with disabilities to experience their right in equal education. This paper focuses in the assessment of other schools regarding the accommodation of students with disabilities.
Ideal Campus/Schools
In order to support the disabled students, it is important that the schools will pay attention on the services that they can provide. The campus or school itself should provide an access map for all the students to help them identify their route or destination even without the help of other fellow students, guardians, or teachers. The route of the school should also have accessibility features that will create a safe and easy path for the students. Most of the proposed projects are the adaptive computing workstations, handicapped parking, automatic door openers, elevators, and others.
Planning for Students with Disabilities
Students who are struggling with their disabilities should feel welcome and normal like the other students. However, the school should consider having the precautionary measurements in response to the emergency needs of the students. As an administrator, the responsibility over the students should remain in their top priority. There are three proposed plans for the students with disabilities while inside the school and should implement to recognize their safety.
1. Know the building floor plans, especially where the fire-protected stairwells are located, as these areas can be used for shelter while awaiting assistance.
2. Use a buddy system, and have more than one buddy in each class in case the primary buddy is not present at the time of an emergency.
3. Consider using decision support system (DSS) liaise on services in anticipating the needing assistance and would like that need communicated.
Education
In serving the students with disabilities, the administrator or the campus directors must communicate an arrangement of appropriate services. The needs for assistance of the disabled students should not only come in the school facilities but also with the other services especially in learning:
Curricular Services - a special course groupings and faculty training on strategies that faculty can use to integrate students with disabilities into their classrooms.
Pedagogical Services – providing oral testing, tutors, sign language interpreters, readers, note-takers, and extended testing time.
Technological Services – books on tape, assistive computer technology, tape recorders, and magnifying devices, visual and auxiliary aids, and others
In providing services, designing the specific programs may help the students with disabilities that centers in the strategies to assist the students towards the successful classroom interaction and learning. In the long-term, the schools can help the students to achieve their potential in which they can use in their employment and total development.
The programs in the education success can be achieved with the communication and collaboration of teachers or educators. With their knowledge and skills, they can assist the students towards establishing their careers and be successful and effective individual. The encouragement and services that the teachers can provide is an important influence in helping the students to participate in the programs that they created. In addition, the educators can also implement a program in which the community is involved. This is important in spreading the preparedness and awareness of the community in helping the community to provide the support and avoid the mainstreaming that might affect the functions of the students with disabilities. This program emphasizes the skill and knowledge development that can start by better understanding and building the personal growth of the students with disabilities.
Conclusion
The students with disabilities have an increasing number in the higher education to achieve their career and professional goals. In the assessment of the schools’ influence, the results derived in investing on the appropriate facilities and services in which the school can approach the learning capabilities of the students and support their personal growth. The development of the student with disabilities is based in the appropriate teaching and learning modifications that a school can provide. Therefore, the design and creating the important facilities are important for the continuous progress of the disability students. It always start with the acceptance and builds the communication with the aid of responsibility.
References:
Gugerty, J., & Knutsen, C., (Eds.) (2000a) Serving students with significant disabilities in two-year colleges: ABLE program, Longview Community College, Let’s Summit, Missouri. Madison, WI: Center on Education and Work (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 447 635).
Gugerty, J., & Knutsen, C., (Eds.) (2000b) Serving students with significant disabilities in two-year colleges: Program accessibility committee–Florence-Darlington Technical College, Florence, South Carolina. Madison, WI: Center on Education and Work (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 447 633).
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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