1. Develop a better understanding of one of the characteristics of one disability area that we have learned about thus far in the semester. (These include severe/multiple disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities)
2. Gather information that can be used for the final paper. This serves as a form of scaffolding, which is an instructional strategy that breaks up long-term learning into manageable chunks with built-in supports.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes a reliable source and where to find them.

Disability Categories
o Severe Disabilities
o Intellectual Disabilities
o Learning Disabilities
Directions:
Imagine a student with one of the disabilities that we have learned about thus far (severe/multiple disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities) has just joined your class. Choose one of those disabilities and imagine this fictional student. Your task is to utilize reliable sources to explain to your school community, co-teacher, instructional assistant, etc., the unique characteristics of the disability and the learning needs of students with this disability. Create a visually-appealing product (slide show, infographic, research brief, video, other option) that explains the disability characteristics and learning needs of this fictional student. You do not need to create this student, but rather utilize what you have learned from class and your sources to generalize the characteristics and needs. You must utilize at least three reliable sources (other than the textbook) and cite your sources in APA format somewhere in the product.
Steps:
1. Watch the videos on finding and citing reliable sources. Then, explore sources for your chosen disability area.
Finding Reliable Sources • Utilizing the GMU Library
• Evidence-based
• Effective Search Terms
• Boolean Searching
• Citing a Source in APA