Advising Students With Disabilities

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Advising Students With Disabilities

• Tips for the Non-DSS Advisor
• October 6, 2005
• Becky Osborne, Assistant Director
• Student Support Services
• Danville Area Community College

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Agenda

• Important Trends
• Brief Overview of ADA Section 504
• General Dos Donts for Advisors
• Types of Disabilities Planning for Success
• Special Issues for Advisors
• Building Bridges Within Your Institution
• Resources for Advisors
• Final Thoughts, Comments, Concerns

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Important Trends

• SWD in Post-Secondary Ed
• A Few National Statistics

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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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College SWD by Category (4-yr institutions)
NCES, 2000
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(No Transcript)
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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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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
  (see Agreement for Permission to Audio-Tape
  Lectures)
• Use of a notetaking device in class or assistance
  in obtaining 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 (see Handbook For SWD)
• 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 sign in your office stating, 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)
• Be alert to signs of immature career decision
  making (e.g. may major in special education
  regardless of individual talents/ability)
• 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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Caution!

• The text of the ADA requires institutions to
  approach student needs on a case-by-case basis.
• Having said that, some generalizations can be
  made based on the type of disability(-ies)
  involved.
• These generalizations are NOT to be applied in a
  cookbook fashion.

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Types of Disabilities

• Helping SWD
• Plan for Success

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Advising Students with Visual Disabilities

• May advise via electronic means to facilitate
  communication
• May require print materials in alternative format
  (e.g., large print) or the use of screen reader
  software (e.g. JAWS)
• 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

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

• Keep in mind
• weather extremes may be problematic
• student may be relying on public or para transit
  system (start late or end early)

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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.
• Be aware of indications that suggest student may
  have a disability (e.g. high school transcript,
  demographic info from placement test).
• May need to pair more difficult classes with
  those somewhat less demanding.

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A Word About 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
Technical Standards Course Substitutions Reduced
Course Load Athletes with Disabilities Distance
Learning
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Technical Standards

• Some programs of study may have technical
  standards to which all students must comply.
• All students should be given a copy of these
  technical standards BEFORE committing to that
  major/field of study (e.g. nursing, radiology,
  physical therapy, law enforcement, fire science,
  etc.).
• Use of an informed consent form signed by student
  is recommended (see Appendix N, The Policy Book,
  LRP,2000).
• Although controversial, SWD may be excluded from
  these programs if they are unable to meet the
  required technical standards with or without
  accommodation.

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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

• Your institution may have a policy allowing
  eligible swd to take a reduced course load while
  retaining their full-time status.
• 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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Athletes with Disabilities

• Awd may petition the NCAA, NJCAA for special
  status as a Certified Disabled Athlete.
• This status allows a student athlete to retain
  eligibility with 9, 10, or 11 credit hours.
• Explicit requirements are contained in Article V,
  Section 4.J of the NJCAA Bylaws regarding
  eligibility.

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Distance Learning SWD

• Online resources other options for distance
  learning have opened up new possibilities for
  swd.
• 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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Building Bridges Within Your Institution
FERPA vs. HIPAA
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FERPA vs. HIPAA

• The protocol for handling disability-related
  information will be determined by your
  institution.
• Is it educational information (falls under
  FERPA)?
• Or, is it medical information (falls under
  HIPAA)?

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Building Bridges

• Handling disability-related matters are part of
  your overall networking strategy with other
  campus depts.
• Ask student, Is there anything I should know to
  help you be most successful this semester?
• Request recommendations from DSS to promote
  student success
• Sign appropriate release forms as required

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Resources for Advisors
www.dacc.edu/sss/aresource.php
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Final Thoughts, Comments, Concerns