Group Work/Discussions
Some students with disabilities face challenges participating in small group discussions and other interactive activities. Specific needs vary greatly. However, some general teaching strategies that benefit all students include:
- Establish clear ground rules for discussion.
- Provide electronic supplementary course/discussion materials.
- Give clear descriptions of visual materials.
- Paraphrase questions and answers and highlight key points throughout discussions.
- Create options for electronic discussions.
Accommodations for Specific Disabilities
The following strategies can be used to facilitate participation of students with specific disabilities in discussions and other interactive group work.
Blindness
Students who are blind cannot see presenters, visual aids, printed materials, and demonstrations.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with blindness are:
- recorded sessions
- Brailler or computer for note taking
- having participants state their names prior to speaking during discussions
- verbal descriptions of visual aids and demonstrations
- handouts in Braille, on tape, or in electronic format that can be read before the discussion or work group meeting
Health Impairments
Students with some health conditions may have difficulty attending class regularly. They may fatigue easily and/or have difficulty taking notes due to fatigue or other physical limitations. Medication side effects may impact endurance, memory, and attention.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize participation of students with health impairments are:
- note takers
- recorded sessions
- laptop computer for note taking
- options for electronic discussion
- flexible attendance requirements
Hearing Impairments
Students with hearing impairments or deafness are challenged by verbal discussions. Students with residual hearing or who use hearing aids may require amplification. Other students may need to lip read or use sign language interpreters. Certain environmental conditions may also impact a student's ability to hear or read lips effectively. For example, hearing aids may pick up extraneous background noise and interfere with the clarity of sound. Poor lighting may make it more difficult to lip read. Likewise, background lighting from a window can cast shadows on a speaker's face. Keep in mind that some students with hearing impairments may also have speech impairment.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with hearing impairments are:
- sign language interpreters
- real-time captioning where words are immediately transcripted and presented on a computer screen
- captioned video presentations
- assistive listening devices (ALDs) which combined with a student's personal hearing aid can augment and amplify sound in a group setting. Microphones for these devices can then be accessed by the person who is speaking
- preferential seating during the discussion for optimal listening and/or lip reading
- options for electronic discussion
Communication strategies that can facilitate access for students with hearing impairments include:
- When speaking, face the student directly.
- When speaking, avoid obscuring lips or face with hands, books, or other objects.
- Repeat discussion questions and statements made by other students.
- Write discussion key points, questions, and answers on a white board or overhead projection system.
- Speak clearly and at a normal rate.
- If the student uses an interpreter, speak directly to the student, not the interpreter.
- Indicate who is speaking by gesturing or pointing.
Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities may have difficulty processing, organizing, and remembering large amounts of spoken information. Taking effective notes may also be challenging due to poor writing and/or organizational skills. Some students may also have difficulty communicating verbally.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with learning disabilities include:
- recorded sessions
- note takers
- a laptop computer in class for note taking
- options for electronic discussion via email where there is sufficient time to formulate responses
Low Vision
Individuals with low vision may have difficulty seeing visual aids, handouts, and demonstrations.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with low vision are:
- note takers
- recorded class sessions
- preferential seating
- large-print handouts and visual aids
Mobility Impairments
Physical access to the discussion location may pose a challenge for a student with a mobility impairment. A student who has difficulty using their hands will have difficulty taking written notes.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with mobility impairments are:
- preferential and accessible seating
- note takers
- recorded sessions
- laptop computer for note taking
Psychiatric Impairments
Students with some psychiatric conditions may have difficulty attending class regularly. They may fatigue easily. Medication side effects may impact endurance, memory, and attention for learning. They may have difficulty taking notes.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with psychiatric impairments are:
- note takers
- recorded sessions
- laptop computer for note taking
- options for electronic discussion
- flexible attendance requirements
Speech Impairments
Students with speech impairments may have difficulty speaking in discussions. Some students with speech impairments use augmentative communication. Many of these devices are computer-based and can be programmed to provide speech output.
Typical accommodations that can be used in discussions and group work to maximize the participation of students with speech impairments are:
- adequate wait time to allow the student to speak
- options for electronic discussion
Check Your Understanding
Consider the following example. A student with a hearing impairment has enrolled in your course which includes a weekly discussion section. The student has a hearing aid and speaks without difficulty. What would be the best way to ensure the student can fully participate in the interactive discussions? Choose a response.
- Provide preferential seating near the instructor to reduce environmental distractions.
- Use an assistive listening system with multiple microphones for the student and instructor.
- Use a note taker during the discussion.
- Use real-time captioning.
Responses:
- Provide preferential seating near the instructor to reduce environmental distractions.
Preferential seating in a discussion section may be helpful. However, if there is a high level of student participation and interaction it may be difficult for the student with a hearing impairment to follow the conversation. Assessing and adjusting environmental conditions such as lighting and background noise that may interfere with lip reading or hearing is important. Talk to the student about the best way to meet her needs. The disabled student services staff may be able to assist with this prior to the course. - Use an assistive listening system with multiple microphones for the student and instructor.
Personal and group FM systems which amplify sounds can be used successfully to clarify sounds in a group setting for some students with hearing impairments. With these systems, there is a direct input of sound from the speaker into a microphone that is then transmitted to the student's hearing aid. A central microphone can be used when the group is small. Multiple microphones are more effective with a larger group and can be passed from person to person as they speak. Talk to the student about options that will be most effective. The disabled student services office may have FM systems available for student use. - Use a note taker during the discussion.
A note taker can provide a summary record of the discussion content. However, this strategy is not ideal because it does not enhance the active participation of the student during the group interaction if the student cannot adequately hear or lip read to follow the conversation. - Use real-time captioning.
The use of real-time captioning may be an effective accommodation in this situation. In this case, a transcriptionist types the discussion comments on computer-based transcription equipment. The speaker's words are typed into the computer and then immediately relayed to the student's laptop or projected onto a larger screen. The captioning also provides a transcript for later use. Real-time captioning tends to be less effective in small groups or interactive discussions than in lectures.
More Information
Explore DO-IT Publications, Knowledge Base articles, and websites on this topic at Accommodation Resources: Group Work / Discussions. To learn about accommodations for a specific disability, select from the list below.