Curriculum Barriers Template & Strongest UDL areas.

The attached photo is my little class consisting of Elizabeth,  Jorge, Sophia, Paula, Kevin, Brian, Kiwa, Bill, Marina, Jake, Phillip, Sarita, Mandy, James, and Helen. Suffice it to say, I hope the size of this particular class is the exception and not the norm. But if it's not, I'll certainly make due. 

The students in red print are the ones that I selected. 

Sophia - 

1. Strengths - include great auditory skills and social skills. 

2. Weaknesses - legally blind.

Paula - 

1. Strengths - Good at single word decoding and spelling individual words. 

2. Weaknesses - She has trouble writing connected text and her writing mechanics tend to break down as a result. She also misinterprets language due to missed cues. 

Given the fact that Sophia is a bit of a social butterfly, I would pair her with Paula to help them both meet learning goals. For example, Sophia likes to read. Having her read to Paula may assuage any nervousness on Paula's part. Also, since Paula is a good speller, having Sophia give Paula her spelling tests would benefit them both.

The barrier that exists in this instance, is a big one. Paula is legally blind. Books being the main curriculum material used in class certainly puts a damper on the aforementioned plan. However, Sophia is able to read braille. By getting books in braille, that barrier is removed. But braille books are both expensive and hard to come by. And that leads us to the emerging stalwart of Assistive Technology, the computer. According to Browder & Spooner's book, Teaching Students with Moderate And Severe Disabilities, computers can be adapted to allow legally blind students have books read to them. How would this work for Sophia? Well, when it comes to reading Paula a story or giving her her spelling test,  that could be done by having Sophia don a pair of headphones and selecting a pre-recorded spelling test. She would hear the word and then say it out loud for Paula. Of course, Paula would have to be seated in a manner that she cannot see the computer.  That's just one adaptation. The possibilities are endless. The work would involve in sitting down and figuring out what would work best in each situation. 

The question in regards to the biggest challenge I may have in developing greater variety in my use of UDL, particularly in the technological realm, lies in a situation that I have yet to walk into which is an actual Special Education classroom of my own. Therefore, the following answer is more of a guess than a fact. That being said, I would imagine that the equipment, in both variety and availability,  in my (future) school would dictate how I would use it. Let's take a SmartBoard for example, should my classroom be equipped with a SmartBoard, I would use it to benefit my students. Were it not available, I would find another way to introduce technology in my classroom, even if it means spending my own money. An iPhone connected to a $400 digital projector can easily capture the attention of the students. Much like a computer, which it basically is, the iphone or ipad can be adapted to a particular student's needs.