Reasonable adjustments, wheelchair access and learning difficulties: ensure your ELT centre is inclusive
16 November 2017


How do you respond to enquiries about students who use wheelchairs? What counts as a "reasonable adaptation" to your centre? And how do you deal with students who turn out to have previously undiagnosed learning difficulties?

All of these subjects and more are covered at Inclusive Classrooms, which takes place in London on Wwednesday 22 November, meeting a need for many member centres which worry about what adjustments are required to make things right.

Classroom issues around identifying specific learning difficulties and how to include all students are covered in the morning. Afternoon sessions focus on visually-impaired students, and how to create an accessible and inclusive ELT centre, looking at workplace assessments, reasonable adjustments and adaptations.

One of our presenters, Anne Margaret Smith, a specialist tutor and assessor and founder of ELT well, believes a proportion of international students are sent to the UK because they are not thriving in their own education system. "Some systems just don't cater for difference and parents don't understand what's going wrong with their children who are apparently able in other ways. The parents think if they send them to Britain they'll learn English and it's high prestige.

"I see quite a lot of students sent here almost as a desperation measure, and it's here that we identify the cause of their difficulty. It reflects well on the school if teachers are clued up and recognise the signs of neurodiversity and the way it can manifest in behaviour … it may be the turning point for the learner because nobody had bothered before, or understood that they couldn't see the board or follow a lesson because it was going too quickly."

Anne Margaret says UK teaching styles often work better for students with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD and autistic spectrum disorders, and adds that teachers can do a great deal simply and cheaply in the classroom. This includes good lighting and temperature control, legible materials, and clear instructions, and other examples of good practice.

Book now to attend, for more information on creating an inclusive ELT centre, and the opportunity to get your specific questions answered. It costs £95 for the full day, including lunch, 10:30 to 17:00 on Wednesday 22 November at the David Game College in London.

 

previous entry << >> next entry