Teaching learners with

Physical Disabilities and

Other Health
Impairments
Reporters
 Rosana Tabios
 Jayson Tungcul
 Jamaica Camille Ventura
 Axel Rose Yalung
 Learning Outcomes

 For Teachers, to be able to handle the students with physical disabilities

and Other Health impairments.
 To be able to know the different strategies on how to teach the students with
Physical Disabilities and Other Health Impairments.
What is physical disabilities?

According to The United States Department of Education IDEA 2004

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a physical disability is
categorized under "orthopedic impairment" and defined as:
"A severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's
educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a
congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis,
bone tuberculosis), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral
palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractors)."
 What is Other Health Impairments?
Other health impairment is defined by IDEA as:

"Having limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to

environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the
educational environment,
Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit
disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart
condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle
cell anemia, and Tourette syndrome; and
Adversely affects a child's educational performance".
Hereditary/Congenital – where a person has been
born with a physical disability or developed one due
to inherited genetic problems, has suffered an
injury at birth, or has issues with their muscles. The causes of a physical
disability are also varied.
Acquired – An acquired physical disability could be
due to an accident, infection or disease, or as a side
They usually fall into one
effect of a medical condition. of two categories:
Causes-Etiology of Other Health Impairments
The etiology of specific health impairments varies. Most result
from infections, genetic factors, environmental influences,
prenatal influences, perinatal influences, and postnatal influences.
However, they can be grouped into some general areas.
Allergies (Hepatitis)
Heredity (Hemophilia)
Accidents (seizure disorders)

Although you should never fall into the trap of
stereotyping, you should know that the view of the
world of persons with theses disabilities, and their
interactions with others, are likely to be a bit different
from those of people without. They often have
unique reactions to live events.
The conditions of students with physical disabilities
may be relatively mild to more severe. Different body
parts may be affected. Disabilities may be due to
central nervous system damage or muscle or
orthopedic impairments.
The characteristics of students with other health
impairments also vary depending on the health
impairment. Students may be weak, tired, or in pain.
Students with other health impairments tend to have
more absences due to their illness. Common health
conditions that may classify a student as other health
impaired are:
Asthma
Sickle-Cell Disease
Epilepsy
Cancer
Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes
Some difficulties of students with physical
disabilities are: Some Difficulties c of students with other
Health Impairments an include
Difficulty writing, such as class notes and on
Mobility around campus and in the classroom
exams
Sitting in a standard desk Taking notes in class

Participating in labs where lab tables and Concentration/attention

equipment are hard to reach Time management

Transportation Anxiety
Classrooms or buildings that are not Missing classes due to symptoms or
wheelchair accessible treatment of medical condition
 In the Philippines, there are at least 375,952 recorded
school age children with person with physical and other
health impairments as of 2010
Resources for Students with Physical Disabilities
Teachers and students must be open and flexible in welcoming a student
with physical disabilities into the classroom. By incorporating the following
expectations and resources in the daily routines for students navigating
their educational journey with disabilities, the learning environment can be
maximized for student success and access.
Create an environmental learning space that can accommodate
wheelchairs and students using other assistive devices to navigate around
the classroom.
Use assistive technology to provide adaptive technological equipment to
enhance learning access for students..
 Design student and resource staff professional development days to educate
everyone in the school community on a student’s disability and its impact on the
classroom environment and the school.
 Have parent/student/resource staff conferences to ensure that the classroom is
adapted to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities..
 Have a resource room for students with physical disabilities to go to when needed
during the school day to work with Instructional Assistants and Occupational
therapists if indicated in the IEP, or when needed as a respite from the mainstream
classroom.
Here are some supports that you can provide a student with
an OHI in the classroom:

Check knowledge through verbal responses.

Modify assignments only as needed.

Arrange room to accommodate students’ equipment.

Look at alternatives for excessive writing.

Mark or circle correct answers on worksheets rather than filling in blanks.

Break tasks into small parts.

• Assist with organization of materials and lesson.
• Reduce homework amount, taking into consideration students’ physical ability to
complete it in a timely fashion.
• Maintain a communication link with all individuals involved with the student –
parent(s), doctors, instructional assistant, therapists, special and general education
teachers – to assure appropriate and coordinated instruction.
• Make appropriate arrangements to accommodate the student’s schedule with
regards to personal needs – catheterization, availability of instructional assistant or
nurse, and toileting with dignity, i.e., private and as independent as possible.
Instructional Strategies for Learners with Physical Disabilities
• Use mnemonics such as SLANT (Sit up,
lean forward, ask questions, nod your
head, track the teacher).
• Consider environmental issues: seating
placement in classroom, workspace free
from distractions, proximity seating,
student remove all non-related materials
from space.
• Use textured mats under worksheets
and manipulatives to stabilize work area.
• Provide a paper stabilizer (clipboard,
non-slip writing surface).
• Use colored highlighters to direct attention to key information.
• Use digital timer to help pace student while working.
• Use a line or a place-marker.
• Provide adapted paper (bold line, raised line, enlarged spacing).
• Use colored sticky notes to draw attention or clarify important
information.
• Use large pencils and/or pencil grips/weighted pencils.
• Use adaptive equipment for posture: booster seats, arm
rests, etc.
• Use computers with touch screen capabilities.
• Demonstrate all concepts with manipulatives.
• Provide copies of work that is presented on the board
or textbook to cut down on. “copying” for students.
•Vary group size for instruction.
•Provide large-print handouts of text.
•Provide a bookstand for books and assignment
pages.
•Provide specifically lined/oriented paper.
•Make available computer speech-enhanced text
and lessons.
•Use drawings and real-life examples such as lunch
counts and class lists.
 Allow extra time for these students to shift from one
activity or environment to the next.
 Teach these students specific techniques for organizing
their thoughts and materials. Organize the classroom
accordingly, and keep all materials in permanent
locations for easy access.
 Allow extra time for finishing assignments or for Strategies for
testing. Learners with
 For more complex activities, simplify steps to make Other Health
them more manageable. Impairments
 Seat the student close to the teacher and away from
any peers that might be distracting.
• Post a daily and weekly schedule that clearly delineates
each activity. These schedules can then be used as
prompts to direct the student back on task
• Keep these schedules as consistent as possible, and keep
unstructured time at a minimum.
• In a more global sense, teaching these students to create
their own goals and objectives can help them learn to
manage their lives across any number of environments
and activities. This process includes the following steps:
• Clearly define your goal
• Develop objectives to achieve this goal.
• Define the actions necessary to achieve the desired
outcome.
Let`s find out what evaluation or assessment are used to
diagnose or help student with Physical Disabilities and
Other Health Impairments

 Developmental Assessments
Academic Achievement Tests
Behavior Rating Scales
End-of-Grade Alternate Assessments
 Some people experience a physical disability or other health
impairments that may affect their body movements or control.
This can impact their ability to learn and take part in daily life.
 If your child has physical disability, it`s important to remember
that schools provide extra support so they can learn, achieve
and join in. this is a key part of inclusive education.;
 Both students with disabilities and excessive abilities need the
integration into their classroom environment and development a
positive interpersonal relationship with their peers.
MESSAGE
 “You do not have a disability, you have a gift!. Others may see it as a disability,
but I see it as a challenge for you. That challenge is a gift because you have to
become stronger to get around it and smarter to figure out how to use it;