Students with Disabilities during School Crises: A Teacher’s Guide

1. StudentswithDisabilitiesduringSchoolCrises: A Teacher’sGuide Laura Shipp Clarke, Ed.D. and Dusty Columbia Embury, Ed.D. Background Teacher’s emergency plan procedures Tools for teachers to support students in teaching emergency procedures The rise in school violence and natural disasters has demonstrated the need for teachers to develop updated procedures that can be integrated in overall school plans and meet the individual needs of students with disabilities who might struggle with the speed or complexity of movements required to comply with the school plan requirements, as well as the generalization skills required to understand what they need to do in different locations and times throughout the academic day. Current U.S. disaster plans in schools are not designed to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities (Boon, et al., 2011). An Individual Emergency Lockdown Plan (IELP) is needed for every student who needs additional supports above the school lockdown plan to understand and comply with school lockdowns today. Consider what your students might need to be successful in an emergency Individual Emergency Lockdown Plans Sensory supports Medications and emergency meds Social narratives or picture schedules and supports Silent fidgets or edible reinforcersthat could help a student maintain silence iPod and headphones if music helps student ADL supports including incontinence supplies Sample Social Narrative At our school, we practice getting to our safe spots for emergencies. We practice going to the hall for tornadoes, going outside for fires, and going to our cubby room for intruders Sometimes it’s confusing because we can’t always tell if we are practicing or if it’s a real emergency. It’s ok if I don’t know if it’s practice or real, but it’s important to listen to the teacher and follow directions. In our safe spot, my friends and I must be very quiet and listen to our teacher and helpers. If I am not quiet and listening to my teacher, I may not know where to go or what to do and then I could get hurt. I will quietly follow my teacher’s instructions when we practice or have an emergency Sample Individual Emergency Lockdown Plan (IELP) Social narrative Contact & Collaborate If you are interested in collaborating, please contact us! Dusty.Embury@EKU.Edu LSClarke@BSU.Edu Reference List Available Upon Request Information is from an upcoming article in Teaching Exceptional Children.