Building an Inclusive Classroom Where Every Student Succeeds
Hi!
Julia here, with some back to school resources! Back-to-school season means setting up a space where every student- regardless of learning style or disability- has equal access to succeed in the classroom.
Creating a fully accessible classroom takes planning, but leveraging the right mix of age-appropriate media, adaptive reading materials, and low-barrier digital tools can lighten the load.
3 Strategies for Supporting Students with Disabilities This Fall:
- Differentiated Reading Options: Offer multi-level books on the same core topic so students at varying reading levels can participate in the same classroom discussions.
- Multisensory Instruction: Combine visual reading with audiobooks and hands-on, interactive tasks to accommodate diverse sensory and processing needs.
- Low-Barrier Digital Tools: Look for educational platforms that don’t require complex logins, heavy bandwidth, or fine-motor precision to navigate.
Another great resource I learned about while working for an in-school occupational therapy practice was the website: School Specialty. They offer a huge range of developmental school supplies/products for just about anything you might need: sensory tools, seating and positioning adjustments, and motor skills activities. A popular product I noticed was the Abilitations Hi-Write Paper which is designed to encourage proper letter placement. The products on this site are super kid-friendly, therapist-tested, and teacher-approved and I would highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t used it already. I have seen first hand how these additional tools can really help children gain independence in daily tasks.
🎮 And did you know?
When we built our 7 Gen Blocks software, accessibility was a primary goal. Because our interactive game blocks run smoothly on low-cost devices without login barriers, educators can easily tailor custom mini-games for students who benefit from visual, self-paced learning paths.
Join our webinar led by Dr. AnnMaria tomorrow, 6-7PM Pacific Time, to learn more about our game builder and find out how to use it to your advantage this fall!
Speaking of Dr. AnnMaria- our 7 Generation Games President recently returned from a Native American education conference in Wyoming where she shared the 7 Gen Blocks no-code game builder and came back with fantastic insights and additional referrals for students with disabilities. Here are a few resources below to look into (these are focused on the Wyoming area, but many states have similar programs):
- Northern Arapaho Vocational Rehabilitation, https://northernarapahovocrehab.com/ which assists Native Americans with disabilities find and/or maintain gainful employment.
- University of Wyoming Project ECHO, https://www.uwyo.edu/wind/echo/ is a great virtual resource where network communities connect special educators, teachers in the Pre K-12 setting, and families with interdisciplinary specialists via Zoom to share best practices, solve classroom challenges, and improve student outcomes across Wyoming.
- The Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Grant, https://dws.wyo.gov/department-of-workforce-services-awarded-grant-to-improve-mental-health-and-economic-outcomes-for-children-and-youth-with-disabilities/ is a project which will aim to expand rural mental health treatment access, create rural collaborative systems to serve individuals, and improve economic outcomes for rural youth with disabilities and Wyoming as a whole.
What are your go-to accommodations or resources for the new school year? Let us know so we can include these in a future newsletter.
Interested in Computer Science or Cybersecurity? Want to visit Turtle Mountain?
The first annual Native Computer Science and Cybersecurity Conference will be at Turtle Mountain College on September 10th – and our own Dr. AnnMaria De Mars will be presenting on no-code educational game development https://nativecscc.com/