Teaching Physics with Disabled Learners: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Disability is an often-overlooked aspect of diversity. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 15% of the world's population identifies as disabled, yet there is a dearth of knowledge and literature about supporting disabled learners in postsecondary physics courses. The goal of this chapter is to synthesize and critique the extant literature about how instructors can teach physics courses in ways to support disabled leaners. Through a systematic literature review, 66 sources were identified which discuss physics, teaching, and disability. In the extant literature, 51 sources are written for practitioners and 15 sources contain novel research. Overall, the literature includes suggestions and solutions to respond to access needs and begins to explore experiences of disabled students and the role of instructors and higher education administrators in supporting the variety of students' needs, abilities, and interests. Findings and implications are disaggregated by suggestions for practice and for education researchers.