Faculty Facts in a Flash:
Creating Accessible Learning
Environments
Presented by:
Tameeka Hunter, M.S., CRC
Assistant Director
Disability Resource Center
Objectives of the Presentation
to:
 Gain awareness of disability rights laws
 Understand disability etiquette, myths and
misconceptions
 Provide strategies for providing accessible
learning environments to students who have
disabilities
Legal Foundations for
Disability Services Offices
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504
Provides that no qualified person with a
disability shall, on the basis of disability, be
excluded from participation in or be denied
benefits of or otherwise be subjected to
discrimination under any program or activity
that receives or benefits from federal financial
assistance.
Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (ADA)
The ADA is a piece of civil rights legislation that
protects the disability community from discrimination
Title I
Employment
Title II Public Services (state and local
government including public school districts and
public transportation)
Title III Public Accommodations and Services
Operated by Private Entities
Title IV Telecommunications
Title V Miscellaneous Provisions
Defining Disability Under the ADA
A person with a disability:
– has a physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits a major life activity,
– or has record of such an impairment, or
– is regarded as having an impairment
(Applies to all public and private entities, including
higher education institutions)
Examples of Covered Disabilities
 Learning Disabilities
Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention-Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
Psychological Disabilities
 Chronic Health Conditions (i.e., Cancer,
Epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, etc.)
Motor/Mobility Disabilities (Cerebral Palsy )
Sensory Disabilities (Vision, Hearing)
In mobern society, an inbivibual’s ytiliba
to be self-sufficient is usually encouraged
from childhood. By eht time we are
adults, we are supposed to have learmed
to debend upon ourselves…
Passage taken from Gloria Hale (ed.), Paddington Press, Ltd., New York, NY 1979
Learning Disabilities, Diagnosed:
1. Average intellectual ability based on performance on a
standardized IQ test.
2 . A significant discrepancy between intellectual ability
and achievement in one or more, but not all academic
areas (i.e. ,reading, math, written language).
3. The academic discrepancy is linked to weaknesses in
information and cognitive processing abilities.
AD/HD Diagnosed
Diagnosis and corresponding code from the most
recent DSM
Developmental history of either inattention and/or
hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms during childhood.
Evidence that these symptoms were associated with
some functional impairment in home and/or school
settings also must be included.
Current symptoms of either inattention and/or
hyperactivity-impulsivity must be present. The specific
symptoms that are present should be stated in the
documentation.
AD/HD Diagnosed Continued
Documentation must include the results of
standardized rating scales that provide
comparison to age-based normative data
Interacting with People Who Have
Disabilities
General suggestions

Use “Person First” language (…person with a
disability…)

Don't assume people with disabilities need your help.
Ask before acting.

Make eye contact and speak directly to the person
who has the disability, not to his or her companion or
interpreter.

It is acceptable to invite a person in a wheelchair to
"go for a walk" or to ask a person who is blind, “Do
you see what I mean?“
General Recommendations for Faculty
Include a “ ADA/Access Statement” on syllabus, for
example:
Students with disabilities who require reasonable
accommodations should register with Disability Services in
order to obtain the accommodations. You can contact them
at 404-555-1234 or disabilityservices@agnesscott.edu
If you are already registered with the DS Office and are
seeking accommodations for this course, then please make
an appointment with me to discuss your specific
accommodation needs for this course and present your
accommodations letter. “
General Recommendations for
Faculty
Students are only required to show disability
documentation to Agnes Scott’s Disability
Services Office
The accommodations outlined in the
accommodation letter are not optional and must
be provided.
When accommodation questions arise, the
faculty or staff member to contact the DS to
discuss.
Maintaining confidentially regarding a student’s
disability status is imperative
Interacting with People Who Have Disabilities
Blindness/Low Vision
 Be descriptive. When directing a person with a
visual impairment, use specifics such as, “left a
hundred feet” or, “right two yards. Warn of
possible hazards.
 You do not have to speak loudly to people with
visual impairments. Most of them can hear
perfectly well.
 Offer to read written information for a person
with a visual impairment, when appropriate.
 If you are asked to guide a person with a visual
impairment, offer your arm instead of taking
theirs.
Interacting with People Who Have Disabilities
Deafness/Hard of Hearing
 Face people with hearing impairment when you talk
to them so they can see your lips.
 Slow the rate at which you speak when talking to a
person with a hearing loss.
 Rephrase, rather than restate the same words.
Some sounds are harder to hear than others.
 Increase the level of your voice.
 Communicate in writing, if necessary.
Interacting with People Who Have
Disabilities – Psychological Disabilities
Flexibility in attendance/tardiness policies,
where educationally feasible
Interacting with People Who Have Disabilities
Blindness/Low Vision
 Make basic information available in accessible
formats: large print, Braille and electronic
formats.
 Offer a guided tour of facilities so people with
disabilities can familiarize themselves with their
surroundings. The tour should identify any
potential obstacles and all emergency exits.
Disability
Did You Know?
Interacting with People Who Have Disabilities
Mobility/Motor
 When giving directions to a person who is mobility-
impaired, consider distance , weather conditions
and physical obstacles such as stairs, curbs and
steep hills.
 Do not lean on a person’s wheelchair. Also, do not
move crutches, canes, walkers etc., without
permission from the person with a disability.
 Offer accessible environments or areas within your
office.
Interacting with People Who Have Disabilities
Learning Disabilities
 Start each class with an outline of material to be
covered that period. At the conclusion,
summarize key points.
 Present information and provide materials using
multi-modal approaches (experientially, visually,
orally, etc.)
Universal Design
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.
– Examples: curb cuts, closed captioning in
restaurants, web pages
– Copyright 1997, The Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State
University
Universal Design in Educational and Instructional
Environments
The extension of the concepts underlying universal
design in the physical environment to the instructional
environment
A way of thinking about how to make instruction
inclusive while in the planning stages
Takes into account the diversity of the students in the
classroom, including those students with disabilities
Universal Instructional Design
Provide:
Multiple means of representation to give learners
various ways of acquiring information
Multiple means of expression, to provide learners
alternatives for demonstrating what they know
Rubrics can help clarify expectations and also,
reduced the faculty’s concerns around comparing
“apples to oranges”
Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners’
interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase
motivation
from www.cast.org
Universal Instructional Design
(UID)
Learning is reinforced when students learn the
same information in multiple ways and through
repeated exposure to the same material.
all students benefit from the use of multiple
modalities to disseminate knowledge, whether
they have disabilities or not.
Faculty Resources
 Use Universally Designed methods (DO-IT is a
free resource for faculty, staff, students, and
administrators:
www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Presentation/
Easy Tools to Determine:
• Is your document accessible?
• Are your podcasts accessible?
• Will this work with a screen reader?
• Will this work with a screen magnifier?
Faculty Resources
For additional resources please consider the
Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional
Transformation (PASS IT) Web site,
http://www.cehd.umn.edu/passit
Any Questions???
Contact Information
Tameeka L. Hunter, M.S., CRC
Assistant Director
Disability Resource Center
Clayton State University
TameekaHunter@clayton.edu
(678) 466-5449