Open Forum

I have been tasked with teaching a special needs Theatre class.  The majority of students are non-verbal and use tablets with pictures to communicate. They also are very limited in mobility from needing help walking to wheelchairs.  I am blessed the paras and the class is small but I need more activities and ideas of things to do with them.  If any one know of books or websites or even had some things they do in the classroom that could work I would appreciate all the help I can get. 

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Dorathea Kelly
Campus High School
KS
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I've not had to work much with a whole class with as many physical limitations as your group, but I did hear a great presentation by People Like Us.

They are a group that specializes in practices for diverse learners, especially those typically in self-contained special ed classrooms. 

Orion Couling (orion@edgeoforion.com) is also an instructor and workshop presenter who specializes in inclusive theatre for neurodivergent learners. His independant theatre company in Chicago closed in 2021 (financial fallout from COVID), but I have had him direct, present, and teach with my students as a guest artist and regional workshop presenter. He is awesome and may have time for a video chat with you OR do a workshop for you and your class. 

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Abigail Kean
Director
Kettle Moraine High School
WI
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Last year I had a couple of non-verbal students in my semester theatre appreciation class for part of the semester.  One student loved the magic box and went up multiple times to show the class what she had in her box.  Magic box link.  Getting to move around to illustrate a story.   I had those students also provide sound effects for radio scenes that were written by a group of students (this one worked well with my student who was nonverbal and wheelchair bound.  She used her eyes to cue the sound and she enjoyed that very much).  BYU has a great set of lessons that you might be able to adapt the magic box lesson came from those.  I am sure you've already done this, but talk to the para's, ask them what the students do well and then adapt where you can to incorporate some of those things.  When I had a completely blind student his para, referenced a math tool that let him feel the geometric lines and angles when working math problems to be utilized when talking about a set or we used his hearing aides to help direct him with choreography for the musical.  

Hope this helps!

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Graci Johnson
Director of Theatre
Benonville West High School
AR
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-22-2024 09:35
From: Abigail Kean
Subject: Special Needs Theatre Class Activities and Ideas

I've not had to work much with a whole class with as many physical limitations as your group, but I did hear a great presentation by People Like Us.

They are a group that specializes in practices for diverse learners, especially those typically in self-contained special ed classrooms. 

Orion Couling (orion@edgeoforion.com) is also an instructor and workshop presenter who specializes in inclusive theatre for neurodivergent learners. His independant theatre company in Chicago closed in 2021 (financial fallout from COVID), but I have had him direct, present, and teach with my students as a guest artist and regional workshop presenter. He is awesome and may have time for a video chat with you OR do a workshop for you and your class. 

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Abigail Kean
Director
Kettle Moraine High School
WI
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Contact Kirsti Lewis (info@peoplelikeusdoc.com) or check out their website She is an incredible source for modified theatre (I went to a workshop at ITF 23 and used several of her resources in my adaptive theatre class last year. Some free resources plus some other content you can purchase...BUT mostly she is just such an advocate and help for the intersection of the arts and special education.

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Veronica Stephenson
Teacher/Director
Enterprise High School
AL
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Hello Dorathea,

This inclusion strategies webpage on EdTA's Learning Center may offer some helpful resources for you! This toolkit offers an inclusive teaching model, lessons with suggested inclusion strategies, and links to EdTA professional learning webinars with additional suggestions for including all learners.

I hope this is helpful! Thank you for all that you do!

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Leah Mussari
Educational Theatre Association
OH
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I have been teaching a theatre class for students with special needs for five years.  We do a variety of activities, including lots of puppet work (we just made our puppets for this year on Friday).  I highly recommend the curriculum from People Like Us.  One of the things that was a game changer for us was connecting with our local arts organization for individuals with special needs.  Here in central Ohio it's called Art Possible.  We got a grant through the Ohio Arts Council that gives us a guest artist one day a week who specializes in working with students with special needs.  We have had dance therapists who did movement work and an artist who did creative dramatics.  Last year and this year we have a music therapist whose work with our students is nothing short of astonishing.  It's my favorite period of the day .and we have lots of joy in whatever we do.  We also offer sensory and family friendly performances so that all of our students and their families - as well as families with small typically abled children who just can't sit still yet -  can enjoy going to the theatre.  I am looking forward to sharing my research on sensory friendly theatre in the research roundtables at TEC.

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Patricia J. Santanello, Ed.D.
Educational Theatre Association
Board Member
Dublin Scioto High School
psdirector2003@hotmail.com
Dublin, Ohio
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Dorathea - Lots of great suggestions here!

Please reach out directly if you want to talk more. Meanwhile, this blog or this list of free resources is a great place to start activities-wise. Lory Stewart's (Texas Thespian!) curriculum is also great to check out here. 

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Kirsti Lewis
People Like Us
http://peoplelikeusdoc.com
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We help theatre educators create more effective learning environments for students with developmental disabilities.
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