| Handicapped or Disabled English Learners | | | | for note-taking and test-takingo Need for multi-media |
| In some institutions, disabled learners study English for | | | | texts and input sessions |
| both academia and communicative purposes. Basically, | | | | Mental Disabilities |
| two forms of disability are encountered by English, as | | | | Although mental disabilities are more strictly monitored |
| a second or foreign language, teachers; physical and | | | | and controlled as far as student admissions are |
| mental. Adaptation of methodologies and didactics for | | | | concerned, nonetheless they can be encountered at a |
| teaching and learning success with handicapped | | | | number of institutions, most likely those that specialized |
| learners or with learners who may be disabled in some | | | | in these types of learners. I think that in many cases |
| way can help to improve teaching and learning with | | | | grouping "these types" of learners together may be |
| many other types of EFL class groups and therefore | | | | doing more harm than good, but that's another story |
| merits the attention of all EFL or ESL language | | | | not intended for this short article post. From |
| professionals. | | | | schizophrenia to Autism and ADD to even Alzheimer's, |
| Physical Disabilities | | | | learners actually may benefit more by being placed in, |
| At the Santiago de Cali University where I teach, | | | | learning and functioning in a "normal" environment. The |
| students are allowed to enter programs even when | | | | same may be true for selected Home-schooled |
| physically disabled or handicapped in some ways. | | | | learners at certain points in their academic growth and |
| There are legally or physically blind (invident), | | | | development. Not in each and every case, mind you, |
| wheelchair-bound and cerebrally-palsied students | | | | but only in a selected number of them. |
| currently enrolled and engaged in academic study | | | | The Need for Adaptive Methodology and Didactics |
| along side of regular students. These disabled or | | | | The need for adaptive methodologies and didactics |
| handicapped learners can be subjected to distinctive | | | | when teaching disabled or handicapped learners |
| problems and difficulties in integrating into an EFL, ESL | | | | cannot be over-emphasized. Rather than "lumping |
| or foreign language class room setting. | | | | these types of learners together", more may actually |
| A few commonly encountered problems include:o Not | | | | be accomplished by "mainstreaming" more of them |
| being able to access institutional facilitieso Need for | | | | and adapting the EFL or ESL methodologies and |
| specially-adapted teaching and learning methodso | | | | didactics to suit class groups of more widely diverse |
| Class schedule adjustmentso Specialized programming | | | | learners. This is highly effective for virtually ANY class |
| of computer room and listening lab facilitieso Alteration | | | | group of language learners and not just simply a |
| of language acquisition methodso Sensitivity to | | | | means of addressing the needs of handicapped |
| environmental conditions like heat, cold, noise and | | | | learners. In my experience, action research and |
| lightingo Highly-focused or distinct learning styles and | | | | investigations, I have definitely found this to be true, |
| learning characteristicso Need for alternative methods | | | | albeit on a somewhat limited scale. |