Students With Disabilities

COUN 7132-Group 5 Briana McNeil

Outline:
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Definitions & Examples of Disabilities Laws Enacted to Protect Students Accommodations Made by Higher Education Institutions Lawsuits Involving Students With Disabilities Future Implications

Administrators Assisting Students With Disabilities:

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According to the latest data available from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES 2009), close to 11 percent of students enrolled in postsecondary education are students with disabilities (Korbel, Lucia, Wenzel, & Anderson, 2011). With the numbers of students with disabilities increasing each year college administrators need to be prepared to deal and help this increasing population of students on campus. Three things that college administrators can do to assist students with disabilities include the following: 1.! Offer on-going faculty and staff training
2.! 3.!

Design transition programs and support groups Implementation of a Universal Design Strategy

Faculty & Staff Training:

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Regular training workshops that will allow interaction between faculty, staff and students with disabilities. Workshops will address issues or concerns that faculty and staff may have in dealing with students with disabilities Educators can learn more about specific disabilities of students and disability-related accommodations (e.g., extended testing times, access to printed text, physical accessibility to classrooms) through online information, health services, and disability services (Hadley, 2011). Possible Workshop Topics:
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How to address a person with a disability Learning Technologies Where is the Disability Services Center located? How can we make the campus and classrooms more accessible for students with disabilities?

Design Transition Programs:

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During high school it is the responsibility of the school administration to see that students with disabilities get the services they need. On the other hand, Section 504 and the ADA prohibit institutions from seeking information on disability status. By law then, students with disabilities in higher education are required to disclose their disability before they receive any special education accommodation (Eckes & Ochoa, 2005). Therefore, programs need to be designed to meet the unique needs of the students that we will serve on campus.

Design Transition Programs (Cont.):

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Topics that should be covered in the transition programs !! Studying !! Time management !! Organization !! Educational laws and their rights !! Development of self advocacy skills !! Services available to students with disabilities on campus Support groups can be included as a component of the transition programs. These groups supply opportunities for students with disabilities to share information, to develop coping strategies, and to furnish a network of social support (Meade, 2006).

Universal Design Strategy:

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In this approach, the student with a disability does not have to continually advocate for access, because disabilities are seen as a naturally occurring human difference and is addressed in the same manner as other individual differences (Hadley, 2011). Universal Design focuses on making changes to curriculum design because it helps all studentsnot just students with a disability. Universal design strategies promote self-reliance and increase self-confidence; they are a means to expand the definition of diverse learners in class rather than treating students with disabilities as a distinct category (Meade, 2006).

Universal Design Principles:

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Principle One: Equitable Use !! The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. Principle Two: Flexibility in Use !! The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Principle Three: Simple and Intuitive Use !! Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the users experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Principle Four: Perceptible Information !! The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the users sensory abilities.

Universal Design Principles:

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Principle Five: Tolerance for Error !! The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. Principle Six: Low Physical Effort !! The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. Principle Seven: Size and Space for Approach and Use !! Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of users body size, posture, or mobility (NC State University, The Center for Universal Design, 2011).

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Universal Design for Learning:

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (Meyer & Rose, 1998) extends these universal design principles to create a new paradigm for teaching, learning, and developing curriculum materials, and in the process changes old assumptions about learning and teaching in four key ways: !! Educators can now see students with disabilities along a continuum of learner differences rather than as a separate category. !! Teacher adjustments for learner differences can now occur for all students, not just those with disabilities. !! Curriculum materials can now be varied to include digital and online resources, rather than just a single textbook. !! Curriculums cane be more flexible and accommodate a wider range of learner differences instead of providing remedial help to students so that they can learns from a set curriculum (Meyer & Rose, 2000).

Summary
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Suggestions for Higher Education Administration include: !! Handling inquiries and requests for accommodations in a timely manner. !! Make reasonable efforts to keep abreast of new technologies that may assist a student with a disability to be otherwise qualified. !! Establish and publish reasonable and sufficient guidelines for students to follow in their efforts to document a disability. !! Examine academic and disciplinary procedures to eliminate those that would impermissibly discriminate against students with disabilities (Thomas, 2000).

Summary (Cont.):
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This presentation has highlighted what a disability is, lawsuits involving students with disabilities vs. higher education, and specific accommodations made for students at colleges and universities. Three things that college administrators can do to assist students with disabilities on their college campus is offer ongoing faculty and staff training, develop transition programs and support groups and implement a universal design strategy. Students with disabilities have the freedom to undertake courses of their interests, as long as they qualify. If we all work together collectively we can ensure that all of our students receive a quality education

References:
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Borich, G. (2007). Effective Teaching Methods: Research-Based Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Hadley, W. M. (2011). College Students with Disabilities: A Student Development Perspective. New Directions for Higher Education (154), 77-81. Korbel, D. M., Lucia, J., Wenzel, C., & Anderson, B. G. (2011). Collaboration Strategies to Facilitate Successful Transition of Students with Disabilities in a Changing Higher Education Environment. New Directions for Higher Education (154), 17-25. Meade, L. T. (2006). Students with Disabilities. In L. A. Gohn, & G. R. Albin (Eds.), Understanding College Student Subpopulations: A Guide for Student Affairs Professionals (pp. 135-158). Washington, D.C.: National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

References:
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Meyer, A., & Rose, D. H. (2000). Universal Design for Individual Differences. Educational Leadership , 58 (3), 39-43. NC State University, The Center for Universal Design. (2011, May 13). Center for Universal Design: The Principles of Universal Design. Retrieved November 11, 2012, from The Principles of Universal Design Web site: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/udi/center-foruniversal-design/the-principles-of-universal-design/ Thomas, S. B. (2000). College Students and Disability Law. Journal of Special Education , 43 (4), 248-257. Weeden, P., Winter J., & Broadfoot, P. (2002). Assessment: What is in it for Schools? London: Routledge. Eckes, S. E., & Ochoa, T. A. (2005). Students with Disabilities: Transitioning from High School to Higher Education. American Secondary Education , 33 (3), 6-20.

References:
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http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq5269.html http://georgiasouthern.edu http://www.disabilityrightsca.org/pubs/530901.pdf http://www.ehow.com/info_8250762_ada-rights-college.html http://www.usg.edu/academic_affairs_handbook/section3/ C793/