Adapting Novels to Promote Access to the Inclusive Classroom
Session Title
Poster Session 2
Faculty Mentor
Amy Clausen, Ph.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Counseling, Leadership and Educational Studies
Abstract
As special education teacher candidates, we believe it is integral for our students to have access to the general education environment. It is important that they are accepted by their classmates and that necessary adaptations are provided in a way that is not ostracizing. Beyond the classroom, engaging with books is important for participating in popular culture. For example, many people reminisce about reading The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, and more in high school, whether it was a book that changed your life, or a book that you can commiserate over. Students with disabilities often don’t have access to these texts due to issues related to complexity, cost, and content-specific vocabulary. Providing students with books that address the same stories, and that look the same as the books their peers are reading, is critical for their social inclusion. Adapted novels are a way for students to access stories through modifications such as simplified text and visual supports. In this project, we aim to provide these adapted novels to schools in our area, in collaboration with our partners at Project IMPACT at UNC Charlotte.
Previously Presented/Performed?
Winthrop University Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, Rock Hill, SC, April 2023.
Type of Presentation
Poster presentation
Start Date
15-4-2023 12:00 PM
Adapting Novels to Promote Access to the Inclusive Classroom
As special education teacher candidates, we believe it is integral for our students to have access to the general education environment. It is important that they are accepted by their classmates and that necessary adaptations are provided in a way that is not ostracizing. Beyond the classroom, engaging with books is important for participating in popular culture. For example, many people reminisce about reading The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, and more in high school, whether it was a book that changed your life, or a book that you can commiserate over. Students with disabilities often don’t have access to these texts due to issues related to complexity, cost, and content-specific vocabulary. Providing students with books that address the same stories, and that look the same as the books their peers are reading, is critical for their social inclusion. Adapted novels are a way for students to access stories through modifications such as simplified text and visual supports. In this project, we aim to provide these adapted novels to schools in our area, in collaboration with our partners at Project IMPACT at UNC Charlotte.
