Current issues

Charlottesville Syllabus: Readings on the History of Hate in America

Creating an Inclusive Classroom

Kalamazoo College Trans Inclusive Classroom Tips (prepared by ACSJL and the Counseling Center)

Trigger Warning: Reading Resources (prepared by Reid Gómez)

Practical Techniques for the Diverse Classroom, TLC Workshop, Spring 2014 (prepared by Reid Gómez)

Supporting Transgender Students in the Classroom (by Sherry Zane)

Toward Inclusive STEM Classrooms (by Killpack and Melon)

Students with Disabilities

For more information, please see the Teaching Commons Disabilities Resource List.

Teaching students with disabilities requires empathy and pedagogical creativity. It can also be a tremendous enrichment to the pedagogical experience of all students in your class—both fully abled and those with ability challenges. The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that all students—regardless of physical or psychological ability—have equal opportunity to experience a Kalamazoo College education. It can be challenging to imagine how our courses might be experienced by students with different sensory limitations, so the following guidelines have been established to aid faculty in working effectively with disabled students.

Ideas and suggestions for technical and computing solutions for retooling your course for students with visual, hearing or other ability challenges is available from Kalamazoo College’s educational technologist, Josh Moon via email at Josh.Moon@kzoo.edu.

A student’s disability must be documented and registered with the Dean of Students Office first before you can provide formal accommodations.

Faculty typically receive official notification that a student is entitled to disability accommodations from Student Development after the Add/Drop period (second week of the quarter).

It is important that you alter formal requirements for student performance/participation only upon receipt of official notification by Student Development.

HOWEVER: your teaching methods may be adapted at any time in order to make your course accessible to students with different learning abilities and/or limitations.

Students with disabilities are themselves an important resource. Spend some dedicated time with your student at the beginning of your class; get to know the student and ask what their prior learning experiences have been like. What has worked well for them? What has not worked well?

Questions? Dean Karen Joshua-Wathel and Associate Provost Laura Furge are your resources. Contact Dean Joshua at Karen.Joshua-Wathel@kzoo.edu with questions about formal disability accommodations, and Associate Provost Laura Furge at Laura.Furge@kzoo.edu with any questions about classroom practice or teaching methods. And…if you have concerns about a student, please contact Early Alert as soon as possible.