Adjustments for students with a physical impairment
Students with Disabilities - Physical Impairment contains information regarding characteristics of students with physical impairment
- Consider additional time for the student to move about the school or classroom.
- Plan for communication requirements such as preparation of AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) resources and programming of speech generating devices.
- Plan with the whole team involved in the student's school life.
- Consider the physical needs of the student.
- Plan for alternative ways to complete practical and written tasks and movement activities. Consider Assistive Technology and specialised equipment requirements.
- Consider access issues on excursions and other learning environments e.g. wheelchair accessible transport, safe locations for personal care to occur.
- Plan for individual personal care needs as necessary.
- Consider teamwork for task completion.
- Teach the use of organisers such as colour coding, pictorial labels, visual timetables and sequences, now/later charts.
- Use available human resources - peer tutoring, teacher aides, special educators, and therapy services.
- Teach other class members to use communication devices.
- Create an environment where diversity is celebrated and the use of specialised equipment is accepted.
- Use technology to record students work; for example, digital photography.
- Collect annotated work samples over time.
- Conduct one-to-one conferences.
- Organise additional time.
- Organise use of a scribe.
- Provide alternative ways of demonstrating competency, for example through oral responses instead of written, multiple-choice instead of extended-answer tests.
Information about reporting for all students can be found at the Guidelines for Reporting Student Achievement (new window) [an error occurred while processing this directive]
which are part of the P-12 Framework.
- Scan the entire school campus to identify any accessibility or safety requirements.
- Respectfully manage the student's physical needs
- Provide space for specialised equipment as required.
- Problem-solve access to playground with focus on opportunities for social engagement and physical activity.
- A student with a physical impairment may have resources specifically recommended for them by medical practitioners, therapists, or AVTs. It will be necessary to ensure that the student and any support personnel have safe and adequate access to these, including appropriate training.
- Train staff in the use of specialised equipment to meet student needs.
- Create resources with symbol/visual support - using specialised software or digital photos.
- Utilise peers, volunteers, teaching teams and specialists.
- Access community resources in the area as appropriate.
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