Educational institutions are acutely aware of the impact of classroom design on special needs populations. They know that “being excluded from culturally valued, integrated settings can be considered a bridge to nowhere, or perhaps a bridge to the wrong destination” and don’t want this fate for their students (Thompson 28).
The importance of responsive design cannot be overstated. By analyzing survey data and researching best practices, architects who collaborate with educators can identify and challenge these biases, work to create spaces that address the unique needs of the special education population, and share with school administration how to implement Universal Design in classrooms and buildings.
Building Layouts and Classroom Adjacencies in Classroom Design Can Support Special Needs Students
Being purposeful with the layout of classrooms, common spaces, and building service locations throughout a school building creates adjacencies that will benefit students and educators.
“The transition between spaces is as important as the destination itself. A smooth transition provides a positive experience for students to succeed and is a fundamental design goal.”
Chris Linkey, RLPS Partner
For the purposes of this analysis, RLPS conducted a survey with 45 special education teachers to elicit qualitative data that can be used to identify best practices for classroom design. To learn more about how to better serve the special needs population in your district through better building and classroom design, download the Whitepaper via the form below.
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About the Authors
Erin is a PA Level II Certified English teacher who spent 6 years in the classroom as a high school English teacher. After leaving the classroom to be a full-time stay-at-home mom, Erin was persuaded by her husband to share her knowledge of the educational system with his colleagues by accepting a job at RLPS.
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Chris has 30 years of experience as a project architect and project manager. He serves as the day-to-day facilitator, working closely with owner representatives and consultants on complex projects. Chris is particularly skilled at coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and guiding projects through the planning and design phases into construction and occupancy. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Committee for Architectural Education (AIA CAE), and the AIA PA Education subcommittee. Chris is also a past board member for the Lancaster County Code Association (LanCode). Chris loves the outdoors and in his spare time can often be...
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With 20+ years of experience, Erin is passionate about educational programming, forward-thinking, future-ready learning environments and the resulting space needs to implement student-centered, personalized learning. She is a strong advocate for educators, the importance of understanding the curriculum drivers and the impact individualized learning and educating have on a successful learning environment. Erin has authored several articles on these topics, with a recent whitepaper focusing on changes in learning environments. She has also served as a conference speaker on the topic of educational spaces, including recently at NSBA where she co-presented with a superintendent and students regarding a collaborative learning...
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Justin serves as a project designer with experience across a variety of building types including education, senior living, and hospitality. He coordinates multi-disciplinary teams working closely with each client to achieve design objectives following individual program goals. More than 20 years of diverse experience have given him a clear understanding of how well conceived design can positively impact living and learning environments. He values the professional development that results from seeing projects from inception through completion and counts himself fortunate to have had those opportunities so far in his career. Justin’s path has always pointed towards architecture and design. He...
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