Accessible Student Services

• Rights, responsibilities, and needs of students with disabilities
• Campus rights and responsibilities for ensuring equal opportunities for students with disabilities
• Strategies for working with students who have disabilities-universal design and accommodations
• Campus resources

Accessible Student Services

• Rights, responsibilities, and needs of students with disabilities
• Campus rights and responsibilities for ensuring equal opportunities for students with disabilities
• Strategies for working with students who have disabilities-universal design and accommodations
• Campus resources

Resources

[Insert your campus resource list here]

Visit The Student Services Conference Room

Factors Influencing the Increased Participation of Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education

• Survival rate
• Technology
• K-12 special education
• Awareness

Undergraduates Reporting a Disability

Among the 6% of undergraduates who reported a disability, the percentage of each type:

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (1999)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

"No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of a public entity."

"Otherwise qualified"

meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation

with or without

• reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices
• removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers
• provision of auxiliary aids and services

"Person with a disability" is any person who

• has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working
• has a record of such an impairment
• is regarded as having such an impairment

Examples of Disabilities

Low Vision
Blindness
Specific Learning Disabilities
Hearing Impairments
Mobility Impairments
Health Impairments
Speech Impairments
Psychiatric Impairments

Universal Design =

"The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."

Source: Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University

Make sure everyone

• feels welcome
• can get to the facility and maneuver within it
• is able to access printed materials and electronic resources
• can participate in events and other activities

Consider accessibility with respect to:

• Planning, Policies & Evaluation
• Facility & Environment
• Staff
• Information Resources
• Computers, Software & Assistive Technology
• Events

Planning and Evaluation

• Diverse group included in planning and review process
• Policies and procedures that assure access to facilities, computers, printed materials, & electronic resources
• Accessibility considered in procurement
• Staff committee to assure that services are accessible
• Procedure to assure a timely response to requests for accommodations
• Disability-related issues addressed in evaluation

Facility and Environment

• Accessible parking, pathways, entrances, and facility levels
• Signs to wheelchair-accessible routes
• High-contrast, large-print signs
• Elevators
• Accessible restrooms with well-marked signs
• Service counter/desk at wheelchair height
• Wide and clear aisles
• Adjustable lighting
• Adjustable window blinds
• Quiet work/meeting areas
• TTY communication available

Staff

• are familiar with TTY/TDD, assistive technology, & alternate document formats
• know how to respond to requests for disability-related accommodations
• have access to resources
• are aware of issues related to communicating with students who have disabilities

Staff Communication Guidelines

• General
• Visual Impairments
• Learning Disabilities
• Mobility Impairments
• Speech Impairments
• Hearing Impairments
• Psychiatric Impairments

Information Resources

• Pictures reflecting diversity
• Statements about commitment to accessibility and procedures regarding accommodations
• Printed publications available in alternate formats
• Printed materials within easy reach from a variety of heights & without furniture blocking access
• Electronic resources, including web pages, adhering to accessibility guidelines

Computers, Software, and Assistive Technology

• Adjustable-height table for each type of workstation
• Adequate work space
• Large-print key labels
• Software to enlarge screen images; large screen monitor
• Trackball
• Wrist & forearm rests

Events

• Located in wheelchair-accessible facilities with accessible entrances clearly marked
• Information about how to request disability-related accommodations in publications
• Accessible transportation available if transportation is arranged for other participants

Accommodations for Low Vision

• Seating near front of the room; good lighting
• Large-print handouts, signs, & labels
• CCTV monitors to enlarge images
• Printed materials in electronic format
• Computers equipped with screen enlargers

Accommodations for Blindness

• Access to printed materials on computer disk, web page, or email
• Printed material in alternate formats (e.g., audiotape, Braille, electronic)
• Raised-line drawings of graphic materials
• Adaptive office equipment (e.g., talking calculators; tactile timers)
• Computer with optical character reader, speech output, refreshable Braille display, Braille printer

Accommodations for Specific Learning Disabilities

• Audiotaped meetings
• Captioned video presentations
• Quiet work spaces
• Computers with speech output, spelling & grammar checkers
• Providing multimodal instructions (e.g., written, verbal)

Accommodations for Hearing Impairments

• Interpreter, real-time captioning, FM system
• Captioned videos
• Electronic mail for correspondence & directions
• Repeating questions & statements from group or audience members
• Visual emergency warning system

Accommodations for Mobility Impairments

• Wheelchair-accessible facilities
• Adjustable tables; equipment & materials located within reach
• Access to resources available on the Internet
• Computer with special input device (e.g., speech input, Morse code, alternative keyboard)

Accommodations for Health Impairments

• Flexible attendance requirements
• Extra exam time, alternate testing arrangements
• Taped meetings
• Materials available in electronic format
• Electronic mail for correspondence & discussions
• Internet-accessible services/resources

Accommodations for Speech Impairments

• Listening carefully to what the person is saying; asking student to repeat what you don't understand
• Taking as much time as necessary to communicate
• Asking questions that require short answers or a nod of the head when appropriate
• Written communication
• Electronic mail

Accommodations for Psychiatric Impairments

• Tape recorder during meetings
• Preferential seating near door
• Extended time to complete tasks
• Quiet work spaces
• Structure and feedback about behavioral expectations