Inclusive Project Based Learning: Ideas for Engaging Students with Disabilities

Author's son, Jared

Introduction: A Personal Story of Inclusion and PBL

If you were to visit my town in NY on any given weekday, you’d likely see my son, Jared, who has Down syndrome, heading off to work at the local school system. After that, you may bump into him at the public library, where he volunteers weekly, plays games with friends, or sifts through the movies and video games, choosing the ones that will be his weekend entertainment.

As Jared’s mom and an educator for over 30 years, I’ve come to realize that the support teachers provide for students is all pretty similar.

I had Jared very soon after I began my first job teaching 7th grade, and with Jared’s Down syndrome diagnosis, I realized that all kids can learn; they just need different avenues sometimes. This perspective became the foundation for the project based learning ideas for students with disabilities that I later applied in the high school classroom, where students of all cognitive levels filled the 30 seats in my class.

“Jared’s Down syndrome diagnosis enabled me to realize that all kids can learn; they just need different avenues sometimes.”

I quickly discovered that students can read the same article if I offer it at various Lexile levels. And protocols for discussion would allow kids who couldn’t consistently put pen to paper an opportunity to dig into content from different entry points. Every student could contribute to the conversation and product creation.

Differentiation Through Project-Based Learning

I drew on these observations and experiences when I transitioned into the teacher professional development domain. Facilitating conversations around how to help students access content became a focus of this collaboration and support.

Teachers needed to see that all students can learn, create, and solve problems.

Teachers needed to see that all students can learn, create, and solve problems. What their students require are intentional protocols and strategies to help them access content. I was happy to share and explore these differentiation methods.

We soon found out that it was about the path to the destination, not the summative stop. My job was to design a pathway through the curriculum while at the same time helping teachers realize what tools in their own toolbox would help kids learn deeply.

Creating a Shared Vision for Inclusive Learning

All students need to learn how to collaborate, make informed decisions, and adjust their approach based on feedback. One of my favorite questions to ask educators is, “What do students need to know and be able to do to be successful upon graduation”?

Phrases like “work with others, make meaningful connections to texts, make decisions based on evidence…” fill the room. I could go on and on, but the reason I share this is because it doesn’t matter if I’m presenting to a room of math teachers, English teachers, or special education teachers. The answers are always the same.

We all want our students to be essential to and invested in their community

We all want our students to be essential to and invested in their community. We recognize the necessity of interpersonal and reflective skills. Project based learning offers a pedagogy that supports this exact wish! 

I explain this to teachers who wonder if and how their students can be capable of such intense engagement and productivity. The thing is, perhaps students don’t arrive with the necessary skills, but teachers can frame experiences to enhance deeper learning. We get to create the stage for rigorous thinking and creativity.

From Current Reality to Inclusive Possibilities

I recently held a training session with a group of educators who teach students with disabilities. Some students are non-ambulatory, while others are nonverbal and rely on multiple means of communication. After my initial overview of Project Based Learning, there were so many questions such as:

How can my students give feedback if they struggle with communication? How can they ask questions if they can’t speak? How do I get them to work together when parallel play is such a large part of their day?

When facilitating PBL with students who have multiple learning disabilities, we must step back to be truly intentional. We need to consider the work of PBL, which involves recognising and collaboratively solving a problem.

So, my next question was, “What is a problem that you and your students are aware of at your school?” A few teachers stated that other students in the building were unsure about how to interact with students in the special education classroom.

One teacher said, “When we go out for fire drills, other students stare at my students”, or “Our students don’t feel they are part of the school community.”

Then, I asked, what would the ideal reality be? Teachers filled up the chart paper with things like, “Other students would talk to our students”, or “There would be a place in the building where shared artwork from all of the classes would be displayed,” or “There would be no staring during fire drills”.

Driving Questions that Foster Inclusion in PBL

Our group realized these reactions were all symptoms of the necessity for community in their school. What if they created a product for all teachers to share with their classes, an introduction of sorts to the students in the secluded special education classroom? 

This is exactly what they did. Teachers and teacher assistants took pictures of their students and created a slideshow where each of their students, using a communication device, shared their likes and dislikes, along with a tip for how a fellow student might support them throughout the day.

Ultimately, all of the elementary students in the building collaborated around a shared art installation, composed of different colored thumbprints to display in the school foyer.

All teachers in the building would share stories or videos aimed at demystifying disability.  After this, the project entailed inviting students from other classrooms in for shared reading or crafting time.

Ultimately, all of the elementary students in the building collaborated around a shared art installation, composed of different colored thumbprints to display in the school foyer.

Inclusive PBL in Action: Project Based Learning Ideas for Students with Disabilities 

After the months-long project, I checked back with the teacher. Now, during fire drills, students were waving and smiling at their new friends from the special education classroom.

Staff were in the planning stages of a new collaborative project, Friendship Rocks, to be painted and placed in the landscape of the school. This project, called “Accept-Include-Love” changed the community, making it a place where all students felt welcome, while keeping literacy, creativity, and community at the forefront of learning.

This project, called ‘Accept-Include-Love’ changed the community, making it a place where all students felt welcome.

To help educators envision how to take the first steps in their own classrooms, here’s a one-page guide with eight actionable tips for starting PBL in special education. These strategies highlight ways to shift mindsets, design for access, and scaffold the process so that all students can thrive in meaningful projects:

Want a copy of this resource? You can download the one-pager here.

Looking for more strategies like this? Check out our PBL Starter Pack, which includes this guide along with other practical tools to launch high-quality PBL in your classroom.

The Lasting Impact of Project-Based Learning for Students with Disabilities

I recount so many stories of  Jared during those PBL training sessions. It’s necessary for teachers to recognize the possibilities that exist for their students after they leave the confines of the classroom. And they do.

Each time I have the honor of facilitating, learning, and growing with them, I witness how they are contributing to the promise of their students. I see it happen in our schools every day.

So often, when teachers complete a project that brings a community together and they see how attitudes and actions change, they immediately start looking for the next opportunity to provide a solution, one that will continue to promote inclusion.

Those students, like Jared, will become valued members of their communities.

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