There are plenty of ways that school administrators can take proactive take steps to make the campus as conducive as possible to teachers with disabilities.
- Ask how the institution can help – Often, the best way of knowing how to accommodate teachers with a disability is to approach them candidly about it. If it’s a clear or priorly disclosed limitation, begin by asking them what they would need to remove obstacles from their ability to teach.
- Protecting teachers from burnout – With the pressures put on a teacher, many of them can reach the end of their rope and end up resigning because of it. It goes double for teachers with disabilities since they’re dealing with not only managing one or more classrooms but also facing additional obstacles. This can drive them into a wall rather quickly if measures aren’t in place to alleviate some of the stressors that teachers take on. Providing aids or assistants to teachers exhibiting signs of exhaustion and stress can mean the difference between a healthy classroom and an early retirement.
- Transportation solutions – School systems can also subsidize vehicle modifications and accessibility features for physically limited teachers.
Tearing Down Walls
It’s important to be discrete about one’s personal health issues if they’re not apparent or willfully disclosed. As teachers with disabilities, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone and accommodations do exist. School administrators must also realize the challenging nature of disabilities in teachers and the added toll it can put on their ability to teach efficiently.
Creating paths to success for these teachers should be of the utmost priority by creating an inclusive and safe environment for all.
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