WADE PEARSONCREIGHTON UNIVERSITY

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS

Students & The New Regulations

Office of Disability Accommodations

WHO: Denise LeClair (50% ODA) Wade Pearson (0-100% ODA

depending on the day)

WHERE: Harper, Suite 4008

Students with Disabilities - Spring 2009

Learning Disabilities 59

Learning Disability & Other 11

Attention Deficit 38

Attention Deficit & Other 13

Hearing 6

Vision 7

Mobility 18

Asperger’s 5

Medical 31

Psychological 21

Total 209

Reasonable Accommodations & Services

Ensure that all programs and services are offered in the most integrated setting possible.

Make modifications to academic requirements as necessary to ensure requirements do not discriminate or exclude students with disabilities.

Modifications: length of time for a degree, consideration of course substitutions, classroom accommodations.

Modifications are not required if changes would substantially change the curriculum.

Reasonable Accommodations & Services

Evaluate student performance using appropriate accommodations. extended time separate, quiet testing location readers, scribes, use of computer, spell checker Provide auxiliary aids and services. sign language interpreters priority registration note takers taped texts screen enlargers voice synthesizers Brailled material enlarged material

Implications for Accommodating Students with Disabilities

“Educational, testing, certification and licensing entities covered by the ADA also maintain discretion to establish appropriate and reasonable documentation requirements related to the determination of disability, as is true under current law……We expect that the less demanding standard applied to the definition of disability will allow students and licensure candidates with documented disabilities to more readily access appropriate accommodations on examinations when needed”

Representative George Miller on the floor of the House; Congressional Record 9/17/2008, Page: H8294

Implications for Accommodating Students with Disabilities

“The Amendments do not directly impact the process of determining reasonable accommodations. In a restatement of current law the amendments assure institutions of higher education that the existing principle that entities need not make modifications to policies, practices or procedures that would fundamentally alter the nature of programs or services remains intact. "

Senate Managers Report

Things to Know

1. Individuals with disabilities are the nation’s largest minority (estimated at 54 million).

2. If you do not currently have a disability, you have about a 20% chance of becoming disabled at some point during your work life.

Things to Know

3. Nationally, 11% of undergraduates reported being disabled in 2003-04.

4. September 2005 ADA Survey of 485 Staff and Faculty

54% - responded YES to “Do you know who to contact if a student approaches you and tells you they need an accommodation due to a disability?”

63% -responded NO to “If you ever made an accommodation for a student due to a disability, did you involve the Office of Disability Accommodations in the process?”

Things to Know

5. Post-secondary institutions are mandated to provide equal access; this does not mean they must guarantee success.

6. Section 504, the ADA, and the ADAAA do not support retroactive accommodations.

7. OCR has found that the obligation of identifying note takers should not fall on the student but is an instructor responsibility.

Things to Know

8. Compliance is a University-wide responsibility; however, faculty can be held personally liable for not providing reasonable accommodations.

9. Adjunct faculty should be included in academic orientations and should receive information about ADA polices, procedures, and accommodations.

Things to Know

10. Put an announcement on your syllabus that lets students know procedures for requesting accommodations.

Such as:

If you have a disability that will require accommodations, you need to do both of the following as soon as possible: 1)contact the Office of Disability Accommodation located in Harper, Suite 4008 (280-2166) in order to obtain a letter verifying your disability and the reasonable accommodations needed, and 2) make an appointment with your instructor to review the letter and discuss the classroom accommodations.