General Guidelines for Designing Accessible Classes

The following suggestions are appropriate instructional strategies for all students and are especially effective in assuring access for students with disabilities:

• Provide students with a detailed course syllabus that clearly addresses expectations at the beginning of the semester.
• Announce reading assignments well in advance; students may need time to have their reading materials converted to alternative formats or to complete reading assignments.
• Start each class period with an outline of material to be covered that day and briefly summarize key points at the end of the lecture.
• Speak directly to students, using gestures and natural expressions to enhance understanding.
• Present new vocabulary and give course assignments in a variety of ways: in lecture, through examples, on the blackboard, on handouts, at Websites, etc.
• Create a course Website and use it to post daily notes of the lecture and assignments.
• Allow students to tape record your lectures.
• Provide opportunities for questions and answers and schedule review sessions.
• Discuss the format of your tests with the class and, if possible, provide a sample test or copies of exams you have used previously.
• Provide copies of overheads and/or PowerPoint slides.
• When in doubt about how to assist the student, ask him or her