2.3 - Roles of Team Members

The Planning Team responsible for developing an adapted school workspace for a student may divide the activities and responsibilities in a variety of ways. These may vary from district to district or educational site to site. The following are some suggestions for consideration in delineating roles for possible members of the planning teams. Teams should ensure that the views of the student and perhaps the parent are well represented during the planning.

Project Leader

• Ensure that the appropriate people are involved in the team meetings
• Organize and chair the meetings
• Coordinate the development of the plan for adapted workspace and ensure that it is compatible with the goals for the student in the Individual Education Plan
• Facilitate group decision making and clarify duties and commitments of team members to implement parts of the plan
• Ensure that district procedures are followed for the planning, fabricating, or purchasing of equipment or furniture
• Ensure that records of the meetings and decisions are kept and distributed to team members and other relevant people
• Monitor the process and ensure that the plan is carried out

Classroom Teacher

• Describe the student's individual education goals (i.e. academic program and functional life skills program)
• Describe the expectations of the class such as seating arrangements, group work/cooperative learning situations, and mobility demands
• Help determine the most effective classroom seating placement for the student
• Help determine alternate storage facilities within the classroom for items such as books, laptop computers, desktop computers, printers, or Braille printers
• Promote acceptance of diversity, particularly when the student's adapted workspace may appear different from classmates' desks
• Provide opportunities for the student to learn to use the adapted workspace as independently and safely as possible (how to open drawers or access books)

Special Education Teacher

• Supplement the teacher's description of the student's individual goals
• Provide information on the student's long term educational goals
• Share information on the student's potential educational placement in preparation for an anticipated transition to another setting
• Help assess the student's use of technology (how frequently the student uses technology, at what times of the day and during which activities or subjects)
• Share information on any medical conditions that may affect the design of the adapted workspace or seating arrangements (examples include visual impairments, hearing impairments, and seizures disorders)

Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapists

• Share information about the student's positioning and posture needs
• Assess the student and inform the team about the student's motor abilities and requirements (i.e. hand function, reach, keyboarding skills, computer accessing implications, material storage implications)
• Provide information about the student's present and/or new equipment (i.e. seating inserts, splints, standing frames, walkers, wheelchairs)
• Provide information regarding any pending medical procedures for the student (i.e. medical re-evaluations, orthopaedic surgery)
• Share technical expertise regarding adapted workspaces (i.e. catalogues, photographs, recommended designs and modifications)
• Work closely with local designers and fabricators, when the adapted workspace is to be built, to ensure that the workspace is functional, safe and cost effective

Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments

• Share information on the student's visual impairment
• Share information on the classroom implications of the student's visual impairment (i.e. seating, location of desk, and workspace surface)
• Share information on the student's technology and the implications for accessibility and storage (Braille readers, Braille printers, and computers)

Teacher of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Share information on the student's hearing impairment
• Explain the classroom implications of the student's hearing impairment (i.e. location of the desk)
• Share information on the student's technology and the implications for accessibility and storage

Speech/Language Pathologist

• Explain the student's communication abilities as well as equipment information (i.e. augmentative communication devices, technology and materials for communication, issues of accessibility and storage)

Designer/Fabricator

• Share expertise in the designing and fabricating of adapted workspaces
• Provide the team with recommendations for specific adapted workspaces based on the team's requests (i.e. recommended construction material, hinges, and pivot systems)
• Work closely with therapists during the design, measurement and construction phase, identifying special equipment storage issues and safety and accessibility concerns
• Recommend whether the adapted workspace should be purchased or fabricated locally, based on cost factors and other constraints

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