Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

This page is dedicated to helping EAs find resources to help teach students using multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement, in order to best meet their learning needs.

Podcast transcript available at the bottom of the page

1. For my first UDL application, I chose to convert a paper I wrote on service dogs and the responsibilities on an EA into a podcast! This is specifically useful for the visually impaired. The website I used is called PodBean. It is free of charge and easy to use. Hundreds of voice memos can be published on your PodBean channel.

Sophie Transcript: This is Sophie. Sophie is a 5 year old girl who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. she's adopted from a Romanian orphanage at the age of 3, she happened to be severely mistreated sophie's parents and I could to feel close to their child but she was cold, aggressive, And nonverbal. They felt anxious confused overwhelmed and embarrassed because they didn't understand their daughter's Behavior. it was difficult for Sophie's parents because their child was not as approachable as other typical children and she had difficulty getting along with her peers. their neighbours refer to Sophia as unusual and they felt judged.it is important as EAs to let parents autism know that they are understood and accepted is also my job to refer them to helpful after school programs such as health and Learning Centers in dramatically improve their development. Sophie's family took her to a local child Development Center where she worked with a multidisciplinary team that helped her start to eat and learn to say some words. We can introduce parents to support groups that also make them feel less alone and we can provide some insight into what their child is thinking and reasons for their behaviour.

Podbean Transcript: Hi everybody Welcome to My podcast this is an online lesson on service dog visually impaired at first glance service dogs any other dog someone make most of the time they are. Between the best of they where you've probably seen service dogs on the street maybe you know someone who owns a service dog however service dog are not typical pets they are actually professionally trained by either an organization or person to perform tasks and assist those who have disabilities and Ontario service dog it under the accessibility for ontarians with Disabilities Act service dogs properly certified and identified are allowed to accompany you in public settings this specially trained dogs can perform numerous tests for a wide range of disabilities that strive to Aid and support a person's daily living activities some of these Services include guide dogs mobility assistance dog autism support dog and so much more guard dogs are probably the most well-known ancestors were visually impaired or blind by Leading individuals has been navigate through their world and prevent them from running into any obstacles that may instruct their passage they also prevent them from oncoming danger such as cars fine edging are pulling their Handler hearing dogs the overnight by noises such as doorbells crying baby the service dog was just protecting their human and leading them towards or away from the noise ask for Mobility assistance dogs access the individual support system as a perform a wide range of tasks for their humans who don't have the capability to perform themselves For instance undressing retrieve any dropped items and so much more moving on to autism support dog the dogs will sister human on all forms of transportation like cars and planes bring objects of people Press buttons on automatic doors in elevator serve as a brace for those who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair a ram support during these dogs specifically help individuals on the Spectrum game confidence and the ability daily activities usually complete on one's own for children in school the dogs impacts for the students who struggle to connect with other classmates and generally act as an icebreaker in Social settings these dogs are trained to prevent children from running off and can track children if they do autism support dog and improve the child's Quality of Life by reducing isolation and soothing the child during stressful events or situations those who suffer with pdsd which is also known as post-traumatic stress benefit from service dogs help them with a panic and fear that as a result of a traumatic experience in their life dogs and I panic and self-destructive owners and help them to remain calm and remind them to take their medication these dogs owners of the sense of emotional Safety and Security some other services provided are diabetic alert dogs and Allergy detection dogs diabetic alert dogs detect blood glucose levels in saliva through their exceptional sense of smell if the owners blood sugar is too low or high the dog will alert its owner by retrieving a diabetes test kit or insulin open or closed doors and a sister owners and standing or walking these dogs pastors of a potentially life-threatening or set off an alarm allergy other dogs are trained to detect the tiniest traces of allergens with their strong sense of smell and alert their owners these service dogs use by children with severe life-threatening scanner needed for their safety inside and outside of school service dogs are trained through special nonprofit for the benefit of those with special emotional mental or physical needs these dogs are generally trained as puppies by sponsor or foster parent certified Sit Them serious specific training exercises for their assigned purpose doug Smith graduate each level of are they can move on to become a certified service animal training can take up to three years and only 70% of dogs make it past their testing PDF diabetic and allergy alert dogs guide dogs hearing dogs dogs and autism I just a few out of many other services that these dog I can support two families of students in schools as Annie today it is our responsibility to support students with exceptionalities in the way that best suits their needs by communicating with parents occupational therapists counsellors and doctors we can be able to evaluate a learning plan for each student if it's soon expresses interest in a service dog and it will prove to be beneficial to their learning and well-being provide parents with the information resources needed to apply for a support animal or train their own request forms are sent by the parents of you're 18 years of age to the the school verification of the animal must be proven god will satisfy the needs of the Disabled Student a case conference the principal with the parents in the special education staff risks and rewards will be discussed as well as further steps that need to be made for the child to learn and function the best they can the school board then evaluates the case and approves or denies the request as an ETA and it's our job to be associated with service animals and to advocate for the rights of our students we support students and their families. service dog are trained specifically to meet the needs of the students and proved to be excellent medical equipment and emotional support their very recommended to students with disabilities this concludes my podcast thank you for listening and I hope you learned a lot about service dogs