Fort Hays State University Advising Students with Disabilities

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Fort Hays State UniversityAdvising Students with
Disabilities

• TIGER 207 Advising Special Populations I
• Students with Disabilities

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Services for Students with Disabilities Office
(SSD)

• Carol Solko, Coordinator of Services for Students
  with Disabilities
• Marnie Kohl, Administrative Assistant
• Sheridan Hall Room 208
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• www.fhsu.edu/staffairs/disability/

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Advising Considerations

• On-campus vs. Virtual
• Scheduling Timing/location
• Full-time vs. Part-time
• Time considerations
• Transportation Issues
• Emergency Evacuation
• Medical needs

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FHSU DSS Breakdown

• Learning Disabilities
• Autism/Aspbergers
• Head Injury
• Medical Disability
• Physical Disability
• Psychiatric Disability
• Visual Impairment
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
• Temporary Disability

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Important Trends

• Number of SWD in higher education is increasing
• 1978 lt3 of full-time freshmen
• 1998 9 of full-time freshmen
• SWD are less likely to complete a degree or
  certificate within 5 years
• SWD perceive there to be barriers to their
  success in higher ed
• 71 of all postsecondary SWD enroll in community
  colleges

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Legal Overview

• ADA
• Section 504

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Americans with Disabilities ActTitle II

• Was passed into law on July 26, 1990
• Is an extension of the Civil Rights Act of 1963
  to individuals with disabilities
• Objective was to end discrimination against
  individuals with disabilities, resulting in their
  full inclusion in American society
• Was intended to strengthen the scope of Section
  504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended
  in 1974

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• No otherwise qualified individual with a
  disability shall, solely by reason of his/her
  disability, be excluded from the participation
  in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
  discrimination under any program or activity of a
  public entity.

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Section 504 and Title II

• Section 504 and Title II protect elementary,
  secondary and postsecondary students from
  discrimination.
• Several of the requirements that apply through
  high school are different from the requirements
  that apply beyond high school.
• Section 504 requires a school district to provide
  free appropriate public education (FAPE) to each
  child with a disability in the school districts
  jurisdiction. Whatever the disability, a school
  must identify an individuals education needs and
  provide regular or special education and
  appropriate aids and services necessary to meet
  the needs.

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Section 504 and Title II cont.

• Unlike high school, postsecondary schools are not
  required to provide FAPE. Postsecondary schools
  are required to provide appropriate academic
  adjustments as necessary to ensure they do not
  discriminate on the basis of the disability.
• If postsecondary schools provide housing to
  nondisabled students, it must provide comparable,
  convenient and accessible housing to swd at the
  same cost.

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Otherwise Qualified

• Meets the academic and technical standards
  requisite to admission or participation, with or
  without
• Reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or
  practices
• Removal of architectural, communication, or
  transportation barriers
• Provision of auxiliary aids and services

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Person with a Disability

• Any person who
• Has a physical or mental impairment that
  substantially limits one or more major life
  activities, including walking, seeing, hearing,
  speaking, breathing, learning, and working
• Has a record of such an impairment
• Is regarded as having such an impairment.

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Institutions of Higher Education Must

• Make their programs, services, and facilities
  accessible to individuals with disabilities who
  are otherwise qualified in the most integrated
  setting possible, unless doing so would cause the
  institution undue hardship or expense.
• Provide reasonable accommodations to individuals
  with disabilities who are otherwise qualified,
  unless doing so would alter the fundamental
  nature of the program, service, or activity.

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Incentives to Comply with the Legislation

• Individuals with disabilities who feel they have
  been discriminated against solely on the basis of
  their disability are encouraged to go through the
  grievance procedures established at their
  institutions.
• Ultimately, the individual may file a complaint
  with the Office of Civil Rights. OCR will
  investigate the charge and make a ruling.
  Institutions found guilty of discrimination risk
  the loss of federal funding.

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Academic Accommodations

• Individuals with disabilities must self-identify
  and provide appropriate documentation to
  Disability Support Services to be eligible for
  academic accommodations/adjustments. These
  accommodations must be reasonable and must not
  alter items within the course or program
  considered essential.

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What types of accommodations might be
requested/allowed?

• Priority registration
• Reading lists or syllabus in advance of semester
  start date to permit time for transferring to an
  alternative format (large print, books on tape,
  etc.)
• Preferential seating (in front, near an exit,
  without glare from windows, etc.)
• Tape recording of lectures and class discussions
• Use of a notetaking device in class or a peer
  notetaker

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Accommodations list, continued

• Lab assistant in classroom
• Change the location of a class to an accessible
  area
• Reduced course load
• Testing accommodations (scribe, reader/tests on
  tape, extended time, distraction-reduced
  environment, enlarged print, word processing
  software with speech access, calculator)
• Sign language interpreter in classroom
• Speak facing the class during lectures, provide
  written supplement to oral instructions/directions
  
• Use of an amplification system
• Extra time for SWD to get from one class to
  another

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General Dos Donts for Advisors

• Tips to Keep in Mind

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Advising Dos

• Think in terms of ability rather than
  disability
• Encourage all students to develop self-advocacy
  skills
• Invite student to self-disclose a disability by
• Posting a statement in syllabus Students with
  documented disabilities may be eligible for
  academic accommodations.
• Ask, Is there anything about you that I should
  be aware of in order to help you be most
  successful in college?
• Discuss any special requirements of their funding
  source (e.g. PELL, State Vocational
  Rehabilitation office)
• Make appropriate referrals to the DSS office or
  other depts. on campus

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Advising Donts

• Dont ask, Do you have a disability? or say,
  You must register with Disability Support
  Services.
• Avoid discussing the students needs anywhere
  other than a private place.
• Avoid counseling swd to avoid certain majors due
  to perceived limitations.
• Dont fail to inform swd about applicable
  technical standards

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Types of Disabilities

• Helping Student with Disabilities
• Plan for Success

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Advising Students with Visual Disabilities

• May advise electronically to facilitate
  communication
• May require print materials in alternative format
  (e.g., large print) or the use of screen reader
  software
• May need extra time to travel between buildings

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Advising Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing

• May advise via electronic means, using TTY, or
  with assistance of an interpreter
• May rely on lip reading face student when
  speaking
• May exhibit poor vocabulary and syntax (ESL)
• Caution--late registration may create major
  barriers to success

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Advising Students with Mobility/Chronic Health
Concerns

• Keep in mind
• weather extremes may be problematic
• student may be relying on public or personal
  attendant to come to campus.

• May need
• reduced course load
• more time to move between buildings
• to avoid early a.m. classes

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Advising Students with Hidden Disabilities

• The number of college students with hidden
  disabilities (e.g. learning, ADD/HD, psychiatric)
  has risen dramatically.
• Keep in mind that students may be reluctant to
  disclose a hidden disability fear stigma that
  comes with label. Many see college as a time to
  start over or be same as classmates.
• May need to pair more difficult classes with
  those somewhat less demanding.

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Temporary Impairments
Students with temporary impairments (surgery,
injuries, etc.) are not covered under Section 504
and the ADA. There is no legal requirement to
provide accommodations in these situations. Refer
these students to your DSS office for an
evaluation of temporary services that may allow
them to stay in school.
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Special Issues for Advisors
Course Substitutions Reduced Course Load Distance
Learning
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Course Substitutions

• Not required by law if refused, a deliberate
  process of determination a written rationale
  are necessary for OCR review
• Swd may be eligible for a course substitution if
  the course is deemed by faculty to be a
  non-essential part of the overall curriculum in
  that program of study
• Courses considered essential are not eligible
  for substitution.
• Examples
• math
• foreign language

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Reduced Course Load

• This usually means that the student can be
  considered full-time with 9, 10, or 11 hours.
• Does NOT change the federal financial aid
  regulations and may impact other types of funding
  as well (e.g. Voc Rehab, WIA, etc.).
• Not all insurers honor this accommodation.

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Distance Learning SWD

• Online resources other options for distance
  learning have opened up new possibilities for
  swd, but also challenges in providing
  accommodations.
• Challenges
• Early registration is a must
• Web accessibility is not a given
• Some swd (e.g. ADD/HD) may not be suited to the
  online learning environment

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Trends and Statistics

• The types of disabilities reported by these
  students were
• Learning disabilities - 45.7
• Mobility or orthopedic impairments - 13.9
• Health impairments - 11.6
• Mental illness or emotional disturbance - 7.8
• Hearing impairments - 5.6
• Blindness and visual impairments - 4.4
• Speech or language impairments - 0.9
• Other impairments - 9.1
• Source An Institutional Perspective on Students
  with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education,
  National Center for Educational Statistics,
  Postsecondary Education Quick Information System,
  August 1999

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Campus Resources

• Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)
• Sheridan Hall Room 208 628-4276
• http//www.fhsu.edu/staffairs/disability/
• Kelly Center
• Picken Hall Room 308 628-4401
• http//www.fhsu.edu/kellycenter/
• Student Health Center
• Second Floor Wiest Hall 628-4293
• http//www.fhsu.edu/studenthealth/
• - The Writing Center
• Forsyth Library Basement Room 20
• http//www.fhsu.edu/english/writingcenter/
• Herndon Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic
• Albertson Hall Room 135 628-5366
• http//www.fhsu.edu/commdis/herndon.shtml

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Community Resources

• - LINK (Living Independently in Northwest Kansas)
  2401 E. 13th Hays, KS
• 625-6942 www.linkinc.org
• SKIL of Western Kansas
• 1011- A Centennial Blvd. 628-8019
• www.skilonline.com/services.htm
• Social Rehabilitation Services
• 3000 Broadway, Hays, KS 628-1066
• - Access Van 628-1052