Hi I'm gonna train as an SEN teacher when my bachelors is done and although little people don't necessarily have learning difficulties what could I do as a teacher to accommodate little people in the classroom better? Is it just about architecture and language, or are there other microagressions and things I need to be aware of should I end up teaching or working alongside a little person
Hello! High school was honestly hell for me, especially as a little person - but there were a lot of things my teachers did/could have done to better my high school experience and make it more accessible and enjoyable :) Here are my suggestions, in no particular order:
Ask questions. Talk to the student privately and open a friendly dialogue about their disability, seeing how they wish to proceed in classroom spaces. They may need to make minor adjustments to the classroom, they may have an I.E.P they'd like to go over with you, etc. Keeping an open dialogue will allow them to safely communicate any concern or questions the student may have, and will allow you to work together to meet such goals.
Keep an eye out for mistreatment. In my experience, there's a cultural shift that occurs after middle school where students become self-aware when it comes to bullying. It may not be in plain sight - in fact when it comes to bullying someone with a disability, students try to avoid publicity because socially it's frowned upon. So it may come out through microaggressions, shunning, gossip or "accidents".
Keep a stool in the classroom. During high school I provided each of my teachers with a stool to keep in the classroom for me, and it would go missing or end up broken at times. Think ahead and make accessibility the teacher's job. Your student may also wish to leave text books or larger education tools in the classroom, rather than lugging them around.
Maintain an element of privacy. Interweave accommodations naturally into your day to day, and avoid pointing them out to other students. The student may want to be responsible for communicating accessibility to their peers, or they may have a way they'd like you to say it.
Some accommodations may include: providing a stool for use of the chalk board and doing presentations, allowing them to leave early if the following class is far away, adjusting gym class expectations. And they may need their choice of seating, as height can pose issues when seeing the chalk board, and classrooms with bar stools may need a seating alternative.
Hope this helps, and best of luck finishing your bachelors!!
- Elliot (they/them)
