Rationale for Inclusivity and Special Needs Policy

As part of Erin College’s goal to continuously enhance the student experience for all, the school directors have decided to create an explicit policy to detail the approach to welcoming students with special needs at our school. This will ensure that all Erin College staff and partners are aware of, and act according to this stated policy. It is our hope that having a clearly stated and understood policy will help facilitate students with special needs at all stages of their student journey. In this policy, students with special needs are defined as students with individual physical, psychological, medical, or emotional needs that are unique to their own situation; these situations may range widely in scope and may include such situations as visual or auditory impairment, dyslexia, restricted mobility, history of eating disorder or self harm behavior, and ADHD. This non-comprehensive list is meant to establish the range of situations which the following inclusivity and special needs policy will cover. The creation of this inclusivity and special needs policy and the details within were largely inspired by the MEI webinar on February 1st, 2024 titled ‘Being as Inclusive as Possible of Students with Special Needs in Summer Language Courses’ by Peter Lahiff.

Background Considerations for Inclusivity and Special Needs Policy

The following are key background considerations that must be taken into account in order to fully understand Erin College’s policy for Inclusivity and Special Needs.

1. Erin College seeks to create an inclusive and welcoming educational environment for all students. We are proud of the diversity of our students and our staff.

2. Erin College seeks to provide all its students with equal opportunities to enjoy everything the Erin College student journey has to offer. We strive therefore to incorporate students with special needs as fully as possible into the mainstream Erin College experience, while understanding that students’ unique situations and individual needs may necessitate special accommodations.

3. Erin College staff are not experts in special needs education and are not trained or equipped with the means to create strategies for managing special needs situations where they do not already exist. Erin College staff depend on students with special needs to already have developed strategies for managing their special needs before starting their student journey.

4. Erin College staff will do their best to accommodate students with special needs in implementing their strategies for managing their individual situation. Erin College staff, however, cannot be expected to implement such strategies outside the scope of their teaching responsibilities or at the expense of their responsibilities to other students. In such cases, Erin College staff will seek a feasible compromise to do their best in accommodating students with special needs.

5. Students with special needs are still expected to follow all Erin College rules and policies that pertain to immigration and accreditation requirements.

Inclusivity and Special Needs Policy

The following is Erin College’s Inclusivity and Special Needs Policy:

• Erin College will incorporate students with special needs into the mainstream of our courses and will incorporate their strategies to assist their participation in our courses as much as possible.

• Erin College staff are not experts in special needs education and are not equipped to devise strategies where they do not already exist.

• Erin College staff have a responsibility to serve the needs of all their students equally, and therefore student strategies may be incorporated with an element of compromise.

• Erin College students or partners will inform the school of students with special needs as soon as possible in the student journey to ensure they may be incorporated as smoothly as possible into the mainstream of our courses.