Practical Tips for Teaching Children with Physical Impairments
Classrooms and school facilities (libraries, toilets, sport grounds and play areas) should be made physically accessible for all children.
Children who use wheelchairs, callipers or crutches for mobility may find it difficult moving around within a traditional classroom blocked by rows of chairs and desks. It is therefore important that we “set up” the classroom in such a way that all the children can move about freely.
Children with physical impairments may sometimes wish/need to use their own furniture, such as ergonomic chairs and sloped writing tables. This should be accommodated without being obtrusive for the other children.
Specially-designed furniture should, if possible, be made available for those who need chairs and tables that differ from standard classroom furniture. This does not have to be expensive. Chairs can be designed based on local models.
Some children would be more comfortable standing rather than sitting down – especially children with back injuries. This should be accommodated in the classroom.
Children who are motor impaired, or are without one or both arms/hands, may need to use a tape recorder or an electronic note-taker during class. They should also have the option of providing giving in their homework on a cassette tape or printed out from a computer with voice-recognition software.
Many children with physical disabilities will need additional time to read, write, or take notes. This may affect their classroom participation as well as the time they would require to finish assignments. Teachers and school administrators (as well as school inspectors and supervisors) should make sure that the children concerned get the time they need to properly show what they have learned in school.
Activities that take place outside of school (such as visits to museums, galleries and sport activities), should be planned and implemented in such a way that all children can participate and benefit from the activities. If the class visits a museum or exhibition, it should be a place that is physically accessible.
If sport activities are organized, they should be planned in such a way that all the children are physically “challenged” according to their individual potential and abilities.
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