Three Steps for Gaining Access to the General Education Curriculum for Learners with Disabilities

The author presents a three-step process for helping teachers determine how accessible their general education curriculum is for students with disabilities. Checklists, examples, and rubrics guide teachers in analyzing and assessing those dimensions of the general education curriculum that hinder or enhance success for learners with mild to moderate disabilities. Suggestions for strengthening the curriculum and considering creative avenues for modifications are also provided. Special educators who use this process and collaborate with general educators to enhance weak curriculum attributes accrue two major benefits : (a) they improve learning for students with mild to moderate disabilities as well as typical students and students at risk for school failure and (b) they make placement decisions for students with disabilities that are more methodical and individualized, and that may result in the general education setting being the least restrictive environment.