Create a student support plan

General

The student support plan helps to ensure that students receive the necessary accommodations to achieve their learning goals. It is important to set up a proactive support system in which teachers can promote a positive learning environment and reduce potential barriers for students with disabilities and support staff are informed about the adaptations that the student may need.

Key tips

Information gathering
  • Student context and individual needs.
  • Curricula and contact details of the teachers involved.
  • Rules, standards and legislation to be met while providing the support to the student.
Assistive Technology matching

If the student needs any AT to enable her/him to follow the course then:

  • Decide together with the student which available AT is most suitable for them.
  • Balance the convenience of the potential options with the preferences of the student. I.e. what is readily available and fully tested with the learning material and the individual preferences, as well as compatibility with other technologies that the student already uses.
Accessibility training
  • If any of the ATs that the student will have to use during the studies is not known to her/him, then the student will need to be trained on how to use them.
  • Raise awareness among the involved teachers.
  • If necessary, offer accessibility training to the teachers.
  • Be easily reachable for consultation not only by students but by the educational community as a whole.
  • Eg. It could be good to make compulsory specific training to some teachers so that they know how to improve the inclusion and accessibility of their lectures.
Provision of educational materials and Assistive Technologies
  • Check the learning materials work with the ATs that students are using. To achieve this, work together with teachers to make sure that the information is conveyed accurately to the student.
  • Make all required adaptation of the content if necessary. Eg. it might be required that some parts of a test are printed in Braille.
  • Gather and make available to the student all learning materials she/he will need.
Student tutoring plan
  • Define the communication channels that will be used.
  • Define clearly where and how the student can get:
    • the adapted materials,
    • support for the use and maintenance of the required ATs and
    • counselling.
  • Fix appointments for assistants and reserve the space and materials they may need for supporting the student.
Plan evaluation
  • Execute an evaluation procedure on a regular basis to keep the supportive action adapted to the changing circumstances.
  • Be flexible.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the education with the implemented measures.
  • Review the current abilities and competences, which may change within the support period.
  • If something is not working or there is room for improvement, then the issue should be tackled together with the student.