We use cookies to give you the best experience and to help improve our website.

Find out more about how we use cookies Thanks for letting me know
Skip to main content
Jisc logo 0300 300 2212
  • Digital resources
    • Library support
      • Jisc Collections
      • Archives Hub
      • Copac
      • Journal Usage Statistics Portal
      • The Keepers Registry
      • Knowledge Base+
      • OpenURL Router
      • SUNCAT
      • Zetoc
      • How we support e-resources management
    • Learning and research resources
      • Citizen Maths
      • Digimap Collections
      • Digimap for Colleges
      • e-books for FE
      • Hairdressing Training
      • Health and social care training Beta
      • Historical Texts
      • Journal Archives
      • Learning analytics Beta
      • Learning on Screen
      • MediaPlus
    • Open access
      • CORE
      • IRUS-UK
      • Monitor Local
      • Monitor UK
      • OpenDOAR
      • Publications Router
      • Repository technical support
      • SHERPA services
      • UK ORCID consortium membership

    Jisc Collections

    We negotiate with publishers, on behalf of the UK higher education sector, to procure and license affordable digital content

  • Network & technology
    • Connectivity
      • Janet Network
      • eduroam
      • Domain registry
      • Govroam
      • IP address assignment
      • Janet Network aurora2
      • Netpath
      • Netsight
      • Network time service (NTP)
      • Managed router service
      • Off-site resolver
      • Primary nameserver service
      • Routers and switches framework
      • Secondary nameserver service
      • Telecommunications framework
    • Cloud
      • Board and committee papers framework
      • Co-location service
      • Data archiving framework
      • GÉANT IaaS framework
      • G Suite for Education
      • Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute
      • Microsoft Office 365
      • Shared data centre
    • Cyber security
      • DDoS mitigation
      • Email advice and testing
      • Penetration testing
      • Janet Network CSIRT
      • Mailer shield
      • Safe Share
      • Security blacklists and whitelists
      • Simulated phishing and associated training
      • Vulnerability assessment and information service
      • Web filtering and monitoring
    • Trust and identity
      • Assent
      • Certificate service
      • Liberate
      • UK Access Management Federation
    • Videoconferencing and communications
      • JiscMail
      • Janet txt
      • Online surveys
      • Telephony purchasing service
      • Vscene
  • Advice
    • Training
      • Digital leaders programme - higher and further education
      • Making your digital collections easier to discover
      • Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP)
      • + explore all training
    • Guides
      • Data and analytics guides
      • Digital literacy guides
      • Open access guides
      • Research data guides
      • + explore all topics
    • Consultancy
      • Addressing online safety needs
      • Digital strategy review
      • Infrastructure review
      • + explore all consultancy

    GDPR

    Practical resources to help prepare you for the new General Data Protection Regulation legislation.

    Financial X-ray

    Compare and analyse the full cost of your IT services.

  • R&D
    • Projects
      • Data and analytics projects
      • Digital literacy projects
      • Infrastructure projects
      • Research data projects
      • + explore all topics
    • How we innovate
      • Co-design
      • 2016-17 consultation
      • - Challenge areas
      • Visions
    • R&D in numbers
    • Get involved
    • Future trends

    Take part in our student ideas competition

    Send us your ideas on how to improve life in education using technology. Closes 13 May 2018.

  • Digital resources
    • Library support
      • Jisc Collections
      • Archives Hub
      • Copac
      • Journal Usage Statistics Portal
      • The Keepers Registry
      • Knowledge Base+
      • OpenURL Router
      • SUNCAT
      • Zetoc
      • How we support e-resources management
    • Learning and research resources
      • Citizen Maths
      • Digimap Collections
      • Digimap for Colleges
      • e-books for FE
      • Hairdressing Training
      • Health and social care training Beta
      • Historical Texts
      • Journal Archives
      • Learning analytics Beta
      • Learning on Screen
      • MediaPlus
    • Open access
      • CORE
      • IRUS-UK
      • Monitor Local
      • Monitor UK
      • OpenDOAR
      • Publications Router
      • Repository technical support
      • SHERPA services
      • UK ORCID consortium membership
  • Network & technology
    • Connectivity
      • Janet Network
      • eduroam
      • Domain registry
      • Govroam
      • IP address assignment
      • Janet Network aurora2
      • Netpath
      • Netsight
      • Network time service (NTP)
      • Managed router service
      • Off-site resolver
      • Primary nameserver service
      • Routers and switches framework
      • Secondary nameserver service
      • Telecommunications framework
    • Cloud
      • Board and committee papers framework
      • Co-location service
      • Data archiving framework
      • GÉANT IaaS framework
      • G Suite for Education
      • Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute
      • Microsoft Office 365
      • Shared data centre
    • Cyber security
      • DDoS mitigation
      • Email advice and testing
      • Penetration testing
      • Janet Network CSIRT
      • Mailer shield
      • Safe Share
      • Security blacklists and whitelists
      • Simulated phishing and associated training
      • Vulnerability assessment and information service
      • Web filtering and monitoring
    • Trust and identity
      • Assent
      • Certificate service
      • Liberate
      • UK Access Management Federation
    • Videoconferencing and communications
      • JiscMail
      • Janet txt
      • Online surveys
      • Telephony purchasing service
      • Vscene
  • Advice
    • Training
      • Digital leaders programme - higher and further education
      • Making your digital collections easier to discover
      • Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP)
      • + explore all training
    • Guides
      • Data and analytics guides
      • Digital literacy guides
      • Open access guides
      • Research data guides
      • + explore all topics
    • Consultancy
      • Addressing online safety needs
      • Digital strategy review
      • Infrastructure review
      • + explore all consultancy
  • R&D
    • Projects
      • Data and analytics projects
      • Digital literacy projects
      • Infrastructure projects
      • Research data projects
      • + explore all topics
    • How we innovate
      • Co-design
      • 2016-17 consultation
      • - Challenge areas
      • Visions
    • R&D in numbers
    • Get involved
    • Future trends
Close search results

  • Give feedback
  • Membership
  • News
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Advice
  • Guides
  • Meeting the requirements of learners with special educational needs
Guide

Meeting the requirements of learners with special educational needs

A guide to understanding the difficulties faced by learners with varying disabilities and how you and your organisation can support them. 

About this guide

  • Published: 16 March 2014
  • Updated: 5 September 2017

Print-ready

version

Contents

Meeting the requirements of learners with special educational needs
  • Supporting learners on the autistic spectrum
  • Supporting learners who have mobility and coordination difficulties
  • Supporting learners with deafness and hearing loss
  • Supporting learners with dyslexia
  • Supporting learners with learning disabilities and difficulties
  • Supporting learners with mental health difficulties
  • Supporting learners with visual impairments

Too much info?

See our quick guide on getting started with accessibility and inclusion.

A learner has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which requires special educational provision.

In order to support learners and meet their needs, you must have some understanding of the difficulties they face. In this guide we outline different needs and consider:

  • How users can understand and meet their own needs
  • How tutors can appreciate learner needs
  • The range of adjustments that could make a difference for the learner, and the benefits and barriers associated with those adjustments
  • The importance of joined up policies and procedures which support individual user needs.

While learners should always be consulted on how best to meet their needs, it is wrong to assume that they are aware of all the possibilities available to them.

Accessible teaching

There are some general recommendations that will help all learners, but particularly those with disabilities. These include:

  • A clear outline of each lesson
  • Clear, unambiguous language
  • Information in a variety of forms
  • Repetition
  • Signpost changes to:
    • Routines
    • Class or group work
    • New or additional content
    • New language or concepts.

Learning technology

A well developed virtual learning environment (VLE) can provide a substantial framework to support teaching, learning and assessment. It allows learners to access or revisit learning sessions, materials and resources at a time that they choose. 

Interactive whiteboards allow learners to contribute to lessons providing relevance and authenticity. Learners can revisit captured lessons or lectures and staff can review the session or provide staff development and quality assurance. Enabling learners to revisit the whiteboard content may help them to understand the lesson objectives that may not have been clear within the live session.

Looking for more help?

We can also offer bespoke training and consultancy around these areas. For more information speak to your account manager.

There are benefits for all learners in creating and developing accessible content. Installing and supporting content creation tools like Xerte Online Toolkits allow tutors to create visually rich and stimulating learning resources.

Technology provides opportunities for communication, collaboration and sharing that enable the leaners to participate in their learning rather than simply receive it. Enabling staff to use collaborative applications proficiently and well is crucial to providing this essential aspect of learning.

Using their own devices will allow students to access rich content or use it to provide evidence in the form of audio, photos or video.

  • Supporting learners on the autistic spectrum
  • Supporting learners who have mobility and coordination difficulties
  • Supporting learners with deafness and hearing loss
  • Supporting learners with dyslexia
  • Supporting learners with learning disabilities and difficulties
  • Supporting learners with mental health difficulties
  • Supporting learners with visual impairments

Book Navigation

  • Supporting learners on the autistic spectrum ›
Tags:
Accessibility
Is there anything wrong with this page?

Useful links

  • Staff directory
  • Find your account manager
  • Sign up for email updates
  • Website information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • @Jisc
  • The world of work is changing. We need more adult education, not less, says @AlanTuckett https://t.co/rH4Q8osoz8
Digital resources
  • Library support
  • Learning and research resources
  • Open access
Network & technology
  • Connectivity
  • Cloud
  • Cyber security
  • Trust and identity
  • Videoconferencing and communications
Advice
  • Training
  • Guides
  • Consultancy
R&D
  • Projects
  • How we innovate
  • R&D in numbers
  • Get involved
  • Future trends
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 UK: England & Wales
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
About using our content