Teaching Students with Physical and Sensory
Disabilities: Opportunities to Help Them Succeed
Jay Chaskes, PhD
MaryBeth Walpole, PhD
Rowan University
TRANSITION TO COLLEGE FOR FIRST-YEAR SWD’S A “CATCH-22”
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Substantial Cultural Shifts
Secondary school not adequate preparation for college for ALL entering
students – first-year student is immigrant:
– heightened expectations – reading, writing & reasoning
– much faster pace
– more personal organization and management required
– more competitive
– more choices- courses, majors, activities
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Shift from IDEA to ADA environment is substantial
SWD must now self advocate
Parents not as empowered as before
Less mandates for college than high schools
“Catch-22” for SWD
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Self advocacy now required
SWD depended upon parents, counselors, etc.
Public school required to make and fund accommodations
SWD must register to be entitled to ask for accommodation
SWDs have no experience navigating college bureaucracy
Yet they are expected to advocate for themselves
Some disabilities carry special difficulties for self advocacy –
for example, low visibility (diabetes)
Not understood as legitimate (chronic fatigue syndrome)
Misunderstood as learning disorder (bipolar disorder)
Student wants to “pass” for normal (invisible disability)
Disability may make interaction difficult (hearing impaired)
Some SWD perceive self advocacy as asking for help or “special treatment”
and thus diminishing the opportunity to be an independent person. Thus, some
SWDs try to be successful without registering as an SWD, asking for an
accommodation or even taking necessary medication.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACTS 1990, 2008
SECTION 504 REHABILITATION ACT 1973
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civil rights laws – prohibits discrimination
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no funded entitlements
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no mandated evaluations or IEPs
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parents not exempt from FERPA
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protects persons who
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have physical or mental impairment substantially limiting one or more life activities
have a record of such impairment
regarded as having such impairment
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must provide “reasonable accommodation” for eligible activities and settings such as
redesigning equipment, assigning aides, written communication in alternative format,
altering facilities, modifying tests, providing alternate accessible spaces,……….
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First-year students with disabilities have an added challenge that their classmates do not
face. The environment that supports persons with disability radically shifts. Along with all
the other challenges faced when being immersed in a post- secondary environment, SWDs
must take greater control over their needs necessitated by one or more disabilities.
Qualified Person with a Disability
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Section 504 and the ADA (ADAA) protect qualified persons with disabilities. A person with a disability is
one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,
has a record of impairment or is regarded as having such an impairment.
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Major life activities means functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking,
seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working.
Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments 2008
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ADA Amendments of 2008 adds major life activities including eating, sleeping, standing, lifting, bending,
reading, thinking/concentrating and communicating.
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ADA Amendments of 2008 specify bodily functions: functions of the immune system, normal cell
growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and
reproductive functions.
TWO PERSPECTIVES ON DISABILITY
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Medical Model – prevailing view among “abled”
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a personal tragedy, individual issue
person defined by impairment
person viewed as less than completely competent
expected to be, docile, dependent , grateful and unhappy
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Social Model – disability rights view
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disabled have limited social and physical access as result of the actions and
inactions of those without disability
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physical access concerns architectural barriers
& other physically inaccessible places such as
public transportation
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social access concerns withholding social
acceptance as an equally qualified student
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SWDs are much more limited by lack of access
than their impairment
SWDs Heterogeneous Category
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Disability very broad concept
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Range of SWD includes paraplegia, quadriplegias, missing limbs, visual impairment, blind,
hearing impaired/deaf, asthma, diabetes, mood disorders, TBI, chronic fatigue syndrome,
epilepsy, cerebral palsy, irritable bowl syndrome, and facial disfigurement for example
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Range from invisible (ex., diabetes or Crohns Disease) to obtrusive (ex., facial
disfigurement or missing a limb)
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Therefore there is no single accommodation or access issue for all SWDs
ADDITIONALLY
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The level of experience, training and understanding differs
between faculty, student affairs staff and other students
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colleges are not required to provide accommodations until student notifies officials of
his/her disability and provide necessary corroborating documentation
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faculty and staff cannot be expected to witness the symptoms suffered and draw
conclusions regarding the nature and extent of a disability
SOME BASIC DISABILITY ETTIQUETTE
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Wheelchair users
– Chair is part of person-leaning on it violates personal space
– Speak to the person at eye level
– Don’t push chair without being asked
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Visually impaired
– Speak directly to person
– Speak in normal volume
– Ask if and how to help
– Never grab guide dog’s lead
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Deaf and hearing impaired
– Don’t speak to interpreter
– Speak slowly/directly to face
– Speak in normal volume
Respectful and Disrespectful Speech
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Don’t say
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you people, your people
disabled, handicapped
normal person
wheelchair bound, confined to
has a birth defect
is an epileptic
is a paraplegic
Put person first and disability second
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person with a disability
person without a disability
person who is blind
person who uses a wheelchair
person with congenital disability
person with epilepsy
person with paraplegia
IMPEDIMENTS TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Behavioral
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Difficulty waking up for class
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Lack of concentration and focus
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Risky behaviors – intentional & unintentional
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Avoidance behaviors
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Forgetfulness, lack of follow-through
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Poor social skills
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Deficit in awareness of resources
Attitudinal and Emotional
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Learned helplessness
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Need for validation
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Lack of responsibility & accountability
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Unrealistic goals
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Don’t easily express motion-act out or internalize
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Stress & anxiety affect fluid cognitive processes required for learning
FACULTY AND SWD IN THE CLASSROOM
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Most faculty, most of time, are understanding and cooperative
• faculty more readily understood need for accommodation of an
“abled” student than one with disability
• SWDs need to be more independent, and their need for
accommodations and help in class becomes especially difficult
• professors and classmates often don’t know how to help SWD
and are afraid to ask how they can assist those physically
impaired.
• professors make erroneous assumptions about the disabled
student’s ability to do the work
• SWD needs to tell the instructor how he or she can help – it’s
student’s responsibility
• Professors needs to tell SWD how he/she can assist them
• Faculty need to be flexible with students when classroom not
or only minimally accessible for visually and orthopedically
impaired (little space for wheelchair to maneuver or furniture an
obstacle for visually impaired)
• Use Universal Instructional Design
– one size doesn’t “fit all”
– allows for flexibility
– inclusive of those with & without disability
UNIVERSAL DESIGN (UD)
Definition:
“The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent
possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”
Source: The Center for Universal Design (1997)
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/about_ud.htm
UNIVERSAL INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN (UID)
Definition:
“Universal Instructional Design is the design of instructional materials and activities that
allow learning goals to be achieved by individuals with wide differences in their abilities to
see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and
remember.
While allowing students with disabilities to engage in a course with few special
accommodations, the flexibility of courses using these principles also helps other students
learn the course material in ways most appropriate to their unique learning styles and
preferences.”
Source: The Ivy Access Initiative (2004)
http://www.Brown.edu/uid
THREE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF UID
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To provide multiple means of Representation
Overhead transparencies & Blackboard
Clear and complete syllabus
Providing assignments in written form & posting on course web site
Accessible electronic materials for students with perceptual Impairments
Lecture outlines notes distributed in class or posted on course web site
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To provide multiple means of Engagement
Small group discussions, whole-class discussions, lectures, etc.
A variety of homework assignments: readings, exercises, group projects, tutorials, web
searches, etc.
Teaching of explicit strategies to learn the material
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To provide multiple means of Expression
A variety of graded exercises (papers, exams, homework, presentations)
Multiple formats on examinations (essay, short answer, oral, etc.)
Choices in graded exercises (e.g., a final exam or final paper or class presentation)
Sufficient time on examinations
Use of word processing, spell check and grammar check
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Source: The Ivy Access Initiative (2004)
http://brown.edu/Administration/SheridanCenter/docs/uid.pdf
-SAMPLESTUDENTS ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT PASSED BY UNIVERSITY SENATE and
APPROVED By OFFICE of PROVOST
Faculty are requested to include the following statement on their syllabi:
Your academic success is important. If you have a documented disability that may have an impact upon
your work in this class, please contact me. Students must provide documentation of their disability to the
Academic Success Center in order to receive official University services and accommodations. The
Academic Success Center can be reached at 856-256-4234. The Center is located on the 3rd floor of
Savitz Hall. The staff is available to answer questions regarding accommodations or assist you in your
pursuit of accommodations. We look forward to working with you to meet your learning goals.
Addendum 1: Purpose for an Accommodation Statement Comprehensive statements do the following:
-Encourage students to come forward early in the semester
· Demonstrate a willingness to work together and provide
accommodations
· Keep focus on student success
· Remind them that they are not legally eligible unless they register
· Offer further resources (web links, offices, people)
In providing accommodations, respect students' rights to privacy. Students are not required to disclose
their particular disabilities only that they qualify for accommodations. Many students who have registered
will voluntarily disclose their disability. Others who have not registered may also claim to be entitled to
accommodations. If there is any request you feel is beyond your resources, direct them to the Academic
Success/Office of Disability Services.
SOME SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Web Sites
Association on Higher Education and Disability http://www.ahead.org
Disability Resources Monthly – Guide to Disability Resources on the Internet
http://www.disabilityresources.org/
Equal Access to Software and information
http://people.rit.edu/easi/
HEATH Resource Center-Online Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with
Disabilities
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/
National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports http://www.rrtc..hawaii.edu
Standing Committee on Disability. American College Personnel Association
http://www.myacpa.org/sc/scd
The Center for Universal Design
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/about_ud.htm
The Ivy Access Initiative
http://www.Brown.edu/uid
University of Washington – UD Process, Principles and Applications
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Programs/ud.html
Books
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Belch, H. (Ed.) (2000) Serving students with disabilities. (New Directions for Student Services, No. 91). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Getzel, E & Wehman, P. (Eds.) (2005) Going to college: expanding opportunities for people with disabilities.
Baltimore: Paul Brookes Publishing.
Henderson, C. (2001) College freshman and disabilities. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Higbee, Jeanne & Mitchell, Alice. (2009). Making good on the promise: student affairs professionals with
disabilities. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Higbee, J. L. (Ed.). (2003). Curriculum transformation and disability: Implementing Universal Design in higher
education. Minneapolis, MN: Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy,
General College, University of Minnesota.
Higbee, J. L., & Goff, E. (2008). Pedagogy and student services for institutional transformation: Implementing
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Developmental Education and Urban Literacy.
Keiser, S & Gordon, M. (Eds.). (2000). Accommodations in higher education under the Americans with
Disabilities Act: a no-nonsense guide for clinicians, educators, administrators and lawyers. New York:
Guilford.
Reiff, H. (2007). Self-advocacy skills for students with learning disabilities. Port Chester, NY: Dude Publishing.