Site of the Month: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities

Looking for comprehensive information on effective literacy instruction and research-based strategies to support students with significant cognitive disabilities and complex communication needs? Today, we highlight the Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities website, a resource developed by the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium (ERLC) that can be used in planning a new literacy program or enhancing one already in existence. 

The site is broken down into 6 main areas.

Getting Started provides a framework for this instruction and offers guidance for determining whether instruction for individual learners should focus on emergent or conventional literacy. 

The Access to Communication section offers a number of resources to support access to and early development of skills in the areas of linguistic, social, operational, and strategic competence. 

Access to appropriate reading material and to effective writing supports both contain important foundational information and practical resource suggestions.

More in-depth information is also provided for emergent literacy instruction (e.g., shared reading, predictable chart writing, alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness) and conventional literacy instruction (e.g., guided reading, decoding, structured writing, self-selected reading).

If you are looking to develop a more comprehensive approach to literacy instruction for students with multiple disabilities or significant cognitive challenges, take time to explore the information and resources on this site. Many thanks to the ERLC and the Alberta Regional Consortia for this helpful, easy-to-use website and all of its resources.

You can access the full site here.