How to Support Students with Disability in College Class?

How to Support Students with Disabilities in College Class

1. General Info.

a. Statistical Data

· Dramatic recent growth

· 11% of undergraduates have a disability

· UT Disability Groups Data (SSD, 2010)

ÆTotal: 1386

b. Legal Framework

· Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973

· ADA of 1990

· ADAAA of 2008

ÆEqual Access

c. Common Barriers

· Negative attitudes from others (Faculty/Staff/Classmates)

· Physical barriers

· Lack of appropriate services and programs

· Lack of funds to improve those services and program

2. The Important Role of Faculty/Staff

· Attitude of faculty/staff could be a vital element in the success or failure of students with disabilities

· Lack of professional training

3. What should you do when you have students with disabilities in class?

· Learn more about students with disabilities

· Familiarize yourself with services and policies

· Examine and improve the accessibility of your course

· Meet with students at the beginning of the semester

· Encourage students to keep in touch with you during the semester

· Do not single out students for special attention in class

· Provide alternative materials

· Provide typed lecture notes or pre-recorded lectures

· Testing issues (Adaptive Testing)

· Extended deadlines

4. Types of Disabilities

Invisible Disabilities

A. Psychological Disabilities

a. Language: “A student with bipolar disorder”

b. Examples:

· Depression

· Bipolar Disorder

· Schizophrenia

· Anxiety & Panic disorder

· Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

· Social Phobia

c. General Strategies

· Don’t make any assumptions

· Ask if the student is aware of resources available on campus

· Contact SSD if you have questions

· Try to keeps stress to a minimum as it can affect functioning

· Ask what will make them most comfortable

· Give permission for students to ask clarifying questions as disability/medication can affect concentration

B. Learning Disabilities

a. Language: “ A student with a learning disorder”

b. Characteristics

· Average to superior intelligence

· A significant discrepancy between achievement and ability

· Often accordance with AD/HD

· Deficits in one or more of the following areas:

§ Attention/Memory

§ Reasoning/Processing

§ Communication/Social competence/Coordination

§ Reading/ Writing/ Spelling/Calculation

§ Emotional maturity

c. General Strategies

· Remember they have average to superior intelligence

· Provide verbal instruction, as well as written

· Allow enough time for given tasks to be completed

· Ask student how they best receive and understand information

· Use of graph paper for math problems can be helpful

· Be patient

C. Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

a. Language: “A student with AD/HD”

b. Challenges

· Impaired concentration

· Poor listening skills

· Trouble starting, organizing, and completing tasks

· Difficulty following directions

· Difficulty making transitions

· Trouble interacting with others

· Poor time management skills

· Slowed reading speed and problems with reading comprehension & memory

c. General Strategies

· Allow students time to process information at their own pace

· Ask one question at a time

· Work with student to structure/organize time together

· Discuss ways to break up assignments in a meaningful way

· Determine, with student, positive ways to get back on track

· Encourage student to take notes on what is discussed

· Have students restate, in their own words, what was covered

· Allow student to move about, if needed, during session or provide short breaks for them to do so.

D. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

a. Language: “A student with a brain injury”

b. Challenges

· Memory deficits

· More impulsive, distractible, socially inappropriate

· Discrepancies in ability levels

· Learns some material quickly, some much slower

· Problems generalizing skills and information

· Comprehension may decrease as complexity/amount of material increases

· May need multiple formats and/or strategies to learn material.

c. General Strategies

· Be more flexible (e.g., Attendance, Schedule)

· Reduce demands (e.g., Providing books and lectures on tape)

· Provide Supervision (e.g., Setting goals, report & evaluate progress)

E. International Students

a. Students who come from different countries to study at a foreign educational institution

b. They may need supports

c. Challenge

· Lack of English proficiency and acculturation

d. General Strategies

· Try to figure out their English and cultural competence

· Encourage students to participate in class

· Provide materials before class

· Allow them to record the lecture/ use dictionary during exam

· Give more time on exams and homework

· Check understanding

· Visualization

· Use blog or discussion board

F. Technology Supports for Students with Invisible Disabilities

a. Listening/Memory

· Computer Pen (e.g., Pulse Smart Pen, Fly fusion Pen)

· Recorders (e.g., iPod touch/iPod nano)

b. Reading

· Dictionary (e.g., Wizcom Reading Pen)

· Accessible Materials (e.g., E-text, Mp3 file)

· OCR & Scanner (e.g., Kurzweil 3000, Wizcom reading pen)

c. Writing/Organizing

· Concept Map (e.g., Inspiration)

· Word processor

· Word prediction Software (e.g., Co Write: Solo)

· Speech Recognition (e.g., Dragon Naturally Speaking)

II. Visible Disabilities

A. Blind or Low Vision

a. Language: “A student who is blind/has low vision”

b. General Strategies

· Offer a tour of the space

· If things have been moved, offer to describe the changes

· Keep walkways clear of obstructions.

· Describe things instead of pointing at them.

· If needed, offer your arm as a guide as opposed to taking the student’s

· A person’s cane is part of their personal space.

· Remember guide dogs are not to be petted or distracted while they are on duty

· Good lighting is important; talk with student about what is best for them.

· Difficulty with sight does not indicate difficulty with hearing

c. Technology Supports

· Screen reader (e.g., JAWS)

· Scan/Read system (e.g., Kurzweil)

· CCTV & Zoom text screen magnifier

· TextAloud MP3 Textreader/MP3 Creator/Braille

(SSD service: E-text/Mp3 file/Braille)

· Recorder: Pulse Smart Pen/ iPod touch/iPod nano

· Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic: http://www.rfbd.org

B. Deaf or Hearing impairment

a. Language: “A student who is deaf or with hearing impairment”

b. Characteristics

· Vary greatly in the degree and type of hearing loss

· Hearing aids do not clarify sound, simply amplify sounds

· If the age of onset occurs before the acquisition of language, the student may have language-based deficiencies

· In a typical classroom environment, the students may experience significant communication difficulty

· Students with hearing impairment may be able to communicate orally

· Deaf students may rely on a visual mode of communication

c. General Strategies

· Provide outlines for class/activity before each class

· Consider seating the student in the front of the class and the note taker in between the instructor and the student

· Find out student’s preferred mode of communication

· Speak to student, regardless of whether or not they use an interpreter

· Reduce background noise

· Keep objects away from mouth

· Repeat, then rephrase

· Speak slowly and clearly

· When using video clips, provide captions or scripts

· A sign language interpreter if students need one

d. Technology Supports

· CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation)

· FM system

· TTY (Telecommunications device for the deaf)

C. Mobility Impairments

a. Language: ”A student with a spinal cord injury”

b. Examples:

· Spinal cord injury, paralysis, cerebral palsy

c. General strategies

· Remember that a impairment in one area does not indicate impairment in another

· Be considerate of the extra time it may take someone to move around or complete a task

· Make sure the space you are using is accessible

· A person’s wheelchair is a part of their personal space

· Being at a person’s eye level is always a sign of respect

d. Technology Supports

· Wheelchair mobility service (SSD)

· Recorder (e.g., Smart Pulse Pen/iPod touch/iPod nano)

· Gyration Air Mouse

D. Medical Disabilities

a. Language: “A student with diabetes”

b. Examples:

· Diabetes, Cancers, AIDS and others

c. General Strategies

· May experience fatigue

· Often are not visible

· Get fact before acting on your first impression

· Be sensitive of the condition of the air/light

5. Resources

a. On-Campus Resources

· Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)

· ATEC lab (SSB)

· PCL Assistive Technology Room: 1-866-895-4250

· AT lab (SZB)

· LTL (SZB): 232-218

http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/learning-technologies-lab-0

· Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): 232-5050

· Undergraduate Writing Center (UWC): 471-6222

· Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC): 471-3515

· UHS-Health Promotion Office: 475-8252

b. Off-Campus Resources

· Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)

: 1-800-628-5115

: http://www.dars.state.tx.us/

· Texas Technology Access Program (TTAP)

: 232-0740

: http://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu/contact3.html#

· Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic

:www.rfbd.org

Please remember you can play a key role in the success or failure of students with disabilities in postsecondary education. Please be knowledgeable of this information to support those students to succeed. J