Students determined to qualify for services in the area of Physically Impairment (PI) have medically diagnosed, chronic, physical impairment, either congenital or acquired, that may adversely affect physical or academic functioning and result in the need for special education and related services.
Diagnoses that may meet these criteria are:
Characteristics:
Most students who meet the criteria for Physically Impaired (PI) have difficulty with completion of classroom tasks involving motor skills within the same timelines as peers, including but not limited to:
❖ Navigating the school environment (hallway transitions, emergency evacuations)
❖ Accessing the classroom environment and materials
❖ Completing activities of daily living (eating, dressing, restroom)
❖ Participating in physical education and recess activities
❖ Completing classroom tasks that require a motor response
Educational Implications:
It is not unusual for students who have physical impairments to demonstrate academic needs that result in atypical learning profiles. For example, a physical impairment can affect a student’s learning style and the way he/she is able to:
❖ Solve problems
❖ Process information
❖ Coordinate movement
❖ Participate in the classroom
❖ Learn new skills and/or demonstrate knowledge
❖ View and/or advocate for oneself
Although many students with physical impairments will follow the same curriculum as their peers, some variations may include:
❖ Adapting the content to enable participation in some subject areas
❖ Alternative methods for demonstrating knowledge or skills
❖ Additional staff support
❖ Additional or supplemental instruction, i.e. mobility skills, keyboarding, specialized communication methods, and use of assistive technology
❖ The rate at which a student moves through the curriculum
Common Educational Needs and Adaptations: The most common components of an educational program for a physical impairment are adaptations to accommodate the student’s educational needs.
They may include (but not limited to):
❖ Instructional strategies for organization, attention, memory, and atypical learning styles
❖ Preferential seating and locker assignment
❖ Time extensions for assignment completion
❖ Assignment and/or test modifications (reduced writing requirements, alternate means of demonstrating knowledge)
❖ Assistive technology and adaptive equipment to compensate for motor and perceptual skill deficits
❖ Additional set of textbooks for home
❖ Provision of teacher or peer notes
❖ Additional time for transitions
❖ Alterations in school schedule to accommodate physical and medical needs (restroom, use of specialized equipment, personal care, visits with related service providers
Accommodations: an accommodation is a change that helps a student overcome or work around challenges imposed by the disability.
Specifically, an accommodation includes:
❖ Supplementary aids and services to be provided to the student
❖ Classroom and testing accommodations
❖ Supports for school personnel to address the needs of the student with disabilities
❖ Individual accommodations with state or district student testing
Some examples of an accommodation may include:
❖ Emergency evacuation plans
❖ Individualized Health Plan
❖ Modified school schedule
❖ Access to adaptive equipment and assistive technology
❖ Testing accommodations
❖ Extended assignment due dates
❖ Alternate response formats
❖ Additional adult support
❖ Alternate bus transport
❖ Alternate instructional setting (home, hospital)
Modification: A modification is often defined as a change in what is taught to or expected from the student.
Some examples of a modification may include:
❖ Modified curriculum content
❖ Modified content for classroom assignments and tests
❖ Modified grading
❖ Modified course requirements
❖ Modified district and state testing requirements