Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities a Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs Edition 4.1
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Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities A Manual For High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs Edition 4.1 Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs Edition 4.1 Todd Pagano & Annemarie Ross, and members of the ACS Committee on Chemists with Disabilities Copyright 2015, American Chemical Society’s Committee on Chemists with Disabilities ISBN 978-1-4951-5532-1 4th Edition Dorothy L Miner, Ron Nieman, Anne B. Swanson, Kelley Carpenter, and Michael Woods, Editors American Chemical Society Committee on Chemists with Disabilities Copyright 2001, American Chemical Society’s Committee on Chemists with Disabilities Statements in this publication are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the American Chemical Society, the National Science Foundation, or the contributors’ employers. The use of brand names is informational only and does not imply endorsement of any product. Cover images © Rochester Institute of Technology. All rights reserved. Preface Ever since it was first published, Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs has served as a vital resource in the chemistry classroom and laboratory to students with disabilities as well as their parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators. The comprehensive 4th edition was last updated in 2001, so the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Committee on Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) thought it prudent to update such a valuable text at this time. In a changing time of technology, rapid access to information, accessibility tools for individuals with disabilities, and publishing, Edition 4.1 is being published digitally/online as an Open Access text. Having Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs in this format will allow for widespread dissemination and access by maximum numbers of readers at no cost- and will allow the text to remain economically sustainable. As an Open Access text, the hope is that this resource can become a more ‘living’ document- where modifications/updates can be published and made available to the readership as they become available. Changes to the text since prior publication will be logged in the Preface section so that readers are aware of specific modifications. Below are highlights of updates/changes to Edition 4.1: • The Resources section has been updated with current resources. • The section on working with deaf and hard-of-hearing students has been considerably updated, including; » additions of updated & current resources, » discussion of modern technology available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, including assistive technology readily available for educational use. • The American Disabilities Act (ADA) specifications have been updated. • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been updated to current specifications. • The section on Individualized Education Program (IEP) requirements has been updated/clarified. • Several new images/photos were added to the text. • An appendix of CWD People with Disabilities including People with Unique Abilities poster series. 3 The ACS’s CWD is a vibrant group of individuals who are devoted to “promoting opportunities- educational and professional for persons with disabilities interested in pursuing careers in chemistry and in fields requiring the knowledge of chemistry, and demonstrate the capabilities of those persons to educators, employers, and peers”. Their passion was the source of this valued resource’s creation and their dedication remains the source for its sustainability. The CWD would like to thank Rochester Institute of Technology’s (home of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf) Scholarly Publishing Studio, led by Nick Paulus and Erica MacArthur and with the assistance of Paige Satterly, for helping with formatting and all of the logistics required to publish Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs, Edition 4.1 in its Open Access format. 4 Table of Contents Introduction........................................ 8 Chapter 1: Disability Laws and Services............... 14 Rehabilitation Act of 1973.............................. 15 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).......... 16 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990................... 20 Institutional and faculty responsibilities................... 21 Disability services for students.......................... 21 Focus on full participation............................. 23 Faculty responsibilities................................ 24 DSS assistance with accommodations.................... 25 Chapter 2: In the Classroom........................ 29 Presemester planning................................. 29 During the semester.................................. 31 Taking notes........................................ 33 Students with limited mobility in the classroom............. 34 Students who are blind or vision-impaired in the classroom. 36 General communication techniques....................... 36 Classroom communication techniques.................... 37 Course preparation................................... 38 Essentials for designing a barrier-free course for students who are blind or vision-impaired............... 38 Students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in the classroom. 40 Face the students..................................... 40 Use visual cues...................................... 41 Include pauses ....................................... 41 Repeat questions..................................... 42 Assistive technology.................................. 43 Students with learning disabilities or ADHD in the classroom. 43 Other disabilities and individual accommodations in the classroom..................................... 55 Chapter 3: Testinga ndE valuation....................5 6 Past accommodations as a guide......................... 57 Testing and evaluation of students with limited mobility. 58 Testing and evaluation of students who are blind or vision-impaired.................................... 59 5 Testing and evaluation of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.................................... 60 Testing and evaluation of students with learning disabilities or ADHD.................................. 60 Chapter 4:Assistive Technology and Accessible Computing. 62 Benefits of computer technology......................... 62 Assistive technology, accessible computing, and students with limited mobility....................... 64 Control panel........................................ 64 Web browsers, e-mail, and word processors................ 65 Input alternatives to keyboard and mouse.................. 66 Non-manual alternatives............................... 66 Speech-recognition software............................ 66 Assistive technology, accessible computing, and students who are blind or vision-impaired................. 68 Assistive technology, accessible computing, and students who are deaf or hard-of- hearing................. 70 Assistive technology, accessible computing, and students with learning disabilities or ADHD............... 72 Chapter 5: In the Laboratory........................ 75 General laboratory considerations........................ 76 Architectural modifications............................. 77 Directed laboratory assistants........................... 78 Students with limited mobility in the laboratory............. 79 Basic requirements................................... 81 Advance requirements................................ 84 Meeting specific needs................................ 84 Students who are blind or vision-impaired in the laboratory. 85 Simple accommodations............................... 86 Students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in the laboratory. 88 Students with learning disabilities or ADHD in the laboratory. 89 Chapter 6: Mentoring and Advocacy: Ensuring Successful Transitions to Higher Education and Employment. 90 Proving abilities..................................... 91 Mentoring students with disabilities...................... 91 High school......................................... 93 Participation, avoiding gaps............................ 94 High school to college................................. 94 Acquiring skills......................................96 6 College............................................. 99 The DSS office.......................................100 Resolving problems...................................101 College to graduate school, postdoctoral service, and employment.....................................102 Employment.........................................104 Chapter 7: Universal Design: Accessibility for Everyone. 106 Classrooms and laboratories.............................106 User-friendly emphasis.................................107 Universal design for the lab.............................108 On the Internet.......................................109 Why do it?..........................................110 Accessibility guidelines................................112 Accessibility needs for specific disabilities..................116 Students who are found or have low vision or color blindness. 117 Students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. ..................117 Students with limited mobility...........................117 Students with learning disabilities or ADHD................118 Conclusion: A great adventure