Name
1928 - Addressing disabled student needs in post-secondary music study: A whole-community approach
Date & Time
Thursday, July 30, 2026, 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Description
Many post-secondary institutions are ambivalent about addressing the needs of disabled students. Students with disabilities which allow them to adapt to institutional norms tend to fare better than those who require accommodations (Riddell, Tinklen & Wilson, 2005). This can be especially true in music programs (McCord, 2016). Over the past three years, one North American post-secondary school of music has conducted a project to probe teacher and student experiences with disability issues in classrooms, rehearsal spaces and studios. The first event was held in October 2023; coordination with the school’s graduate colloquium assured good attendance and promoted the participants' professional development, since many would be teaching after graduation. Approximately fifty students and teachers attended. This session explored what accessibility would really look like in post-secondary music. Issues of both physical and neurodivergent disability were dealt with. Participants arranged themselves in small groups and were given two questions to discuss. What would our classes look like if we truly adhered to a model of accessibility? What challenges do you anticipate and what steps can you see being taken to answer these challenges? The second event, in January 2025, focused on how a whole-community approach could meet the needs of neurodiverse students in post-secondary music programs. Two speakers from another music school who had completed a study on the subject gave a presentation, followed by a question/answer session. Once again, the event was held in coordination with the music research graduate colloquium and there was a good representation from both students and faculty with approximately fifty individuals attending. Points emerging from the first two sessions included the need for teachers to adapt to address student needs, the need for adequate teacher training in the area of disabilities, the need to modify rubrics for student evaluation where disabilities are evident, and the need for support services responsive to the needs of post-secondary music students with disabilities. A third session, held in October 2025, focused on diversity in learning and was facilitated by several students and teachers. The objective was to share thoughts and experiences involving teaching and learning challenges. Despite modest attendance, the facilitators found the session enlightening and benefited from sharing their experiences and opinions. After this session, a synopsis of all three events was presented to the school’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee with a request that an action plan be developed to address the stated needs of students and teachers.Keywords: post-secondary, disabilities, whole-community
Location Name
210A - Poster Gallery
Session Type
Poster Presentation
Presenter(s)
Margaret de Castro, Jose Vasquez Garcia
Poster Board
19