How we Support our Students

A class at Arts Umbrella isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. Students are often working on a common project or a shared goal, but how they get there is unique and creative. Everyone needs different things to feel good about learning. Often the variety and flexibility of learning supports are met in our classes thanks to the care and attention of our instructors and assistants, who can each offer more support or guidance when needed. Sometimes, there is no clear way to know what supports are best for a particular student or which adaptations might be needed in order to feel confident and reach one’s full learning potential, and that’s why we ask.

Arts Umbrella programming serves students ages 2-22. We understand that for children and young people, both physical and mental conditions, illnesses, and disabilities can occur for the first time or become more prominent. We acknowledge that for many students, barriers exist to accessing the right care, medical diagnoses, treatments, tools, and/or medication options.

Arts Umbrella strives to support students who need support whether they have a diagnosis or not.

Accessibility and Learning Supports Process

Resources

DOWNLOAD COMMON SUPPORTS INFORMATION (PDF)

DOWNLOAD COMMON SUPPORTS INFORMATION (WORD DOCUMENT)

DOWNLOAD ACCESSIBILITY AND LEARNING SUPPORTS FORM (PDF)

DOWNLOAD ACCESSIBILITY AND LEARNING SUPPORTS FORM (WORD DOCUMENT)

Examples of accessibility and learning needs:

• Learning disabilities
• Autism (ASD), ADHD
• Allergies and chemical sensitivities
• Health conditions and mental illness
• Deaf, hard of hearing Blind, low vision
• English as an additional language
• Unfamiliar or uncomfortable in classroom environments
• Changing family circumstances
• Travelling/recently immigrated

Examples of Common Supports we offer:

• A tour of the building including studios and classrooms
• Specific building and classroom accessibility information and features such as measurements, amount of light, automatic doors, and more
• The Quiet Room: A lower sensory space
• Briefs from instructors and/or assistants on upcoming classes
• The opportunity to meet instructors ahead of classes
• Rest breaks away from the classroom
• Support persons or personal aides are welcome
• Alternative formats for handouts and references such as captions, transcripts, and audio recordings
• Sharing handouts and references in advance of classes
• Instructors using student-provided access tools or assisted devices such as FM loops for D/deaf/hard-of-hearing students
• Adapted movement within dance classes to accommodate injuries and mobility limitations
• Flexible in-class participation
• Warnings for flashing/strobe lights and loud noises