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Mari Beth Coleman, Ph.D. Elizabeth Stephanie Cramer, Ed.D. University of Tennessee Making Art Accessible for Students with Physical, Visual, Severe and Multiple Disabilities

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Importance of Art for Students with Significant Disabilities Art is a visual language that provides another means of communication The openness of art instruction (many solutions, not single answers) naturally allows the expressions or voices of multiple learners. How can all students become empowered and engaged in learning experiences?

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What Makes an Individual Well Rounded? Just passed in the Senate is an amendment that states that the arts are essential to a well- rounded person and healthy future Providing opportunities where all of our students participate in the arts is paramount to assisting our students to becoming more well-rounded Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) requires that the abilities and needs of all students are considered in the learning environment so that all learners are included in the classroom as much as possible: Classroom, co-taught classroom and special education teacher, and special education teacher

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Art Art is a conduit to experiencing life long learning in ways that are creative and encourage problem finding and solving Art also provides opportunities to observe, participate in and strengthen aesthetic awareness and critical thinking (likes and dislikes) Built into art classrooms are ways our students can participate in a community of diverse learners since the art teacher sees almost all students in the school (usually within the week) and has them for the entire time that they attend that school (elementary, middle and/or secondary)

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Art One way to provide empowerment to all of our students is through educating ourselves to learn how to provide and model best practices of accommodating and improving accessibility to learning and participating in the rich visual language of art To make this happen there needs to be collaboration between the special needs educator and the art educator

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Art Teacher Survey We recently collected data on a survey regarding accommodating and providing accessibility to students with physical, visual, severe and multiple disabilities 88 art teachers responded to the survey Mean years teaching 13.31 Most (56%) teach 1-10 students with physical, visual, severe, or multiple disabilities per year

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Results: Preparedness Ratings of knowledge and skills for teaching art to students without disabilities ranged from somewhat extensive to extensive Ratings of knowledge and skills for assessing and teaching art to students with physical, visual, severe or multiple disabilities fell between somewhat minimal to medium

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Types of Assessment Adaptations For students with physical, visual, severe, and multiple disabilities: 73.8% assess based on participation 67.5% assess based on effort 57.5% assess with modified rubrics