Inclusive Instructional Practices Used and Their Perceived Importance by Instructors

This research examines the inclusive instructional and accommodative strategies instructors use to assist students with disabilities in their classes, and what faculty perceives as most important for student success. The survey included demographic questions (gender, role in the college, and experience) and response items from the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory ([ITSI] Lombardi, Murray, & Gerdes, 2011). The ITSI is a self-report survey that asks participants about their attitudes towards inclusive teaching strategies, as well as how they act on these strategies. Responses were collected from 52 instructors in the College of Education at a large university in the Pacific Northwest. Respondents included a mixture of tenure-track faculty, adjunct faculty, and course instructors. Findings from the analysis suggest differences between instructors' attitudes and actions in two areas: (1) Scholastic Accommodations to assignment due dates and individual reading loads, and (2) Physical Accommodations, such as examining the classroom in advance to anticipate physical barriers for students with disabilities. Findings also suggest that instructors lacked confidence in their knowledge of Universal Design for Learning, legal definitions of disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 compliance. The implications of these findings for instructor professional development and student self-advocacy are presented.