Disability
Resource Center
Department Heads Meeting/EVC Conference
2015-16 Academic Year
Rick Gubash
DRC Location:
125 Hahn Student Services
Presentation Agenda
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9.
Who the DRC Serves
DRC Philosophy
Trends
Services for Students with Disabilities
Access as a Campus Responsibility
Ethics and Dollars
Referrals/Tips for Connecting Students
Take Away Messages
Resources to support faculty - handout
Who the DRC Serves
Any UG or Grad student with a disability who
experiences barriers in UCSC programs.
Who DRC Serves
Students with Disabilities
• Legal Definition
– An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who
has a physical or mental impairment that (substantially) limits one or
more major life activities.
• Many non-apparent disabilities: mental health diagnoses as well as
learning disabilities
• Students will have documentation of a disability on file with the
DRC or be referred to get documentation of a disability.
The most resourceful, helpful place, people and accommodations for me when I
felt vulnerable and helpless. Tysm (thank you so much) for unconditional
support; I feel so happy, able and ready to succeed as a UCSC banana slug!
Thank you DRC!!!
My Philosophy
Education is for everyone – all students should
feel welcome
• Equal access – it’s a civil right
• Access is a campus responsibility
• Equality enhances diversity
• Resource Center
– For faculty
– For students
Trends
Increase in numbers of DRC students
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2014-2015
Trends
5 Year Numbers 2010-11 vs 2014-15
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
ABI
ADHD
ABI: Acquired Brain Injury
BL: Blind LV: Low Vision
MOB: Mobility/orthopedic
PSY: Psychological disability
AUT
BL/LV/VI
CHRON*
DEAF/HOH
LD
MOB
OTH*
PSY
Total
ADHD: Attention Deficit
AUT: Autism Spectrum
CHRON: Chronic
LD: Learning Disability
OTH: Other functional disability
Trends
• Students from under-resourced high schools
• First generation college students
• AB 540 students
Many of these students were not diagnosed in
high school or develop psychological conditions
after high school.
DRC Services for Students
• Many types of accommodations
– Extended exam time, notetaker, books in audio,
part-time status – all based on impact and
documentation.
• Programming
– Organizational, social/game night, educational
• Access advising
– Consult to manage barriers, communication
Referrals to DRC
Encourage students to contact our office!
Refer students who you feel might need accommodations ….
example:
- Poor exam performance, when the student is fully
prepared and understands the material
You mentioned blanking out on the exam. Others students
experiencing the same issue have benefitted from using
extended time and limited distractions on exams. Would you
like to meet with the DRC to see what they can offer?
Electronic Access
• Print Related Disabilities
– Blind students
– Students with LD
– The DRC works behind the scenes to convert text
books
• Deaf and hard of hearing students
– Youtube captions
– Real-time lecture captioning
– Film captioning
Universal Design for Instruction
• Well designed courses reduce the need to
remove barriers (accommodate).
– Examples:
– Clean document scans sent ahead of time, captions on
videos (Youtube), posting materials in accessible
formats
• Results:
–
–
–
–
Immediate and equal access for all students
Welcoming environment
Monetary savings to the university
Respect for human dignity
Faculty Resources
• DRC consults – call us
• FITC (Faculty Instructional Tech Center)
– Accessible design experts
• refer to both DRC and CAPS as needed
• Staff HR: Kelly Roberts – employee
accommodation needs
Take Away Messages
1. Design courses with all learners in mind
2. Refer Students
3. DRC will meet with students who are not yet
diagnosed to refer for testing
4. Create a welcoming and inclusive learning
environment - syllabus
5. DRC is a resource for faculty
Q and A
Thank You