Faculty impart knowledge to students and evaluate whether students have learned the material by creating assignments and exams that allow the student to demonstrate mastery based on course goals, objectives and the nature of the curriculum. Having an understanding of a disability and the limitations caused by that disability are essential when teaching to and interacting with students whose learning styles are different from their peers.
Accommodating Students with Specific Types of Disabilities
- Students with Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Student with Visual Disabilities
- Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Students with Health Related Disabilities
- Students with Mental Health Disabilities
- Students with Physical Disabilities
- Students with Autism
Students with Learning Disabilities and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Often called “hidden disabilities”, students with Learning Disabilities (LD’s) and/or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) make up the majority of students registered with DR. Examples of LD’s include Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Math Disorders, and Nonverbal Learning Disorders. Students are diagnosed after a battery of testing with results that indicate lack of achievement at age and ability level and a severe discrepancy between achievement and intelligence.
Examples of limitations faced by these students are:
- Inability to change from one task to another
- Difficulty scheduling time to complete short and long-term assignments
- Difficulty completing tests without additional time
- Difficulty following directions
- Difficulty concentrating in lectures
- Problems with grammar
- Impulsiveness
- Difficulty delaying resolution to a problem
- Poor self-esteem
- Difficulty taking notes
- Slow reading rate
- Poor comprehension and retention of material read
- Difficulty with basic math operations
- Difficulty with reasoning
When preparing your lectures, and then presenting the materials, consider the following:
- Link previous lecture to current lecture
- Outline main points on overhead
- State class objective
- Write key terms on overhead
- Leave overheads up longer than you think necessary for you to copy
- Identify patterns of organization
- Make lectures interactive
- Make notes available on the internet
- Maintain student attention by varying delivery approach
- Move around the room
- Summarize or draw conclusions at the end of the lecture
Commonly used accommodations for students with LD’s:
- Extended time for testing
- Use of a computer with a spell-checking program
- Writing on the test, rather than using Scantrons
- Use of a calculator
- Copies of overheads, handouts, lecture notes
- Readers for exams
- Preferential seating
Accommodations for students with ADHD may include:
- Reduced distraction environment for testing
- Extended time for testing
- Preferential seating near the front of the class
- Notetaking support
Student with Visual Disabilities
There are two categories of visual disabilities: blindness and low vision. Between 70 and 80 percent of all persons in the United States identified with visual disabilities actually have some residual and functional vision, and may use a term such as low vision. To be diagnosed with low vision, visual acuity has to be 20/70 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction, or have a constricted visual field (peripheral vision) of 30 degrees or less. To be diagnosed as legally blind, visual acuity has to be 20/200 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction or a have a visual field (peripheral vision) of 20 degrees or less.
Academic limitations can be the result of constricted peripheral vision, progressive loss of vision, and/or fluctuation of visual acuity. Visual disabilities may result in difficulties with the following activities:
- Mobility around campus and in the classroom
- Ability to take notes in class
- Ability to see classroom visual aids, writing on chalkboard, etc.
- Reading standard print materials
- Finding transportation
- Obtaining textbooks in an alternative format and in a timely manner (audio, large print, Braille)
Some examples of accommodations used by students who are blind or have low vision include:
- Large print or Braille handouts, signs, equipment labels
- TV monitor connected to microscope to enlarge images
- Directions, notices, assignments in electronic format
- Printed materials on colored paper or materials in high contrast
- Computers with enlarged screen images
- Seating where the lighting is best
- Audio, Braille, electronic formats for notes, handouts, texts
- Describe visual aids (text or audio descriptions)
- Raised-line drawings and tactile models of graphic materials
- Computers with optical character readers, voice activated computers, voice output, Braille keyboards and printers
- Extended time for testing
- Use of a reader and/or scribe for exams
- Use of tinted glasses for indoors/outdoors
Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Communication access is the most common barrier between students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and their hearing peers and instructors. Some of these students use American Sign Language and not spoken English. They often identify with other people of similar upbringing and prefer to be called Deaf with a capital D. People who became deaf later in life may call themselves Deaf or hard-of-hearing based on the degree of hearing loss they experience.
Examples of disability related limitations include:
- Listening to and understanding lecture information
- Taking notes in class
- Working effectively in group projects or class discussions
Commonly used accommodations are:
- Interpreters, real-time transcription, assistive listening systems, note taking assistance
- Face student when speaking
- Written copies of any oral instructions (directions, assignments, lab instructions)
- Visual aids, visual warning systems
- Repeat questions and statements from others
- Electronic mail for communicating
- Captioned videos and transcripts of audio recordings
Students with Health Related Disabilities
Chronic illnesses include conditions affecting one or more of the body’s functions. These conditions can include, but are not limited to, the respiratory, immunological, neurological and circulatory systems. There can be several different impairments and they can vary significantly in their effects and symptoms. In general, these conditions can vary in severity and length of time, and can be very unstable. Examples of chronic medical conditions include:
- Cancer
- Chemical dependency
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Diabetes
- Dysautonomia
- Epilepsy/seizure disorder
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Multiple chemical sensitivities
- Multiple sclerosis
- Renal disease/failure
Academic difficulties can include:
- Mobility around campus and in the classroom
- Taking notes in class
- Concentration/attention
- Time management
- Anxiety
- Missing classes due to symptoms or treatment of medical condition
Most commonly requested accommodations are:
- Note taking assistance, audio-taped class sessions
- Flexible attendance requirements
- Extra exam time, alternative testing arrangements
- Assignments in electronic formats
- Communication through electronic mail
- Absences due to symptomology and doctors appointments
Students with Mental Health Disabilities
Mental Health disabilities may not be apparent, but they can have a dramatic impact on interpersonal and school behavior that affects the learning process. These disabilities cover a wide range of conditions that may be chronic or reoccurring. With appropriate treatment many mental health related disabilities can be effectively controlled or improved. However treatment, which often combines medications and psychotherapy and may effectively stop acute symptoms or halt the downward spiral in some individuals, sometimes causes additional limitations as a result of prescribed medications.
Examples of some mental health disabilities are:
- Major depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Severe anxiety disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Eating disorders
- Substance-related disorders
Academic difficulties can include:
- Concentration
- Cognitive (short term memory difficulties)
- Distractibility
- Time management
- Impulsiveness
- Fluctuating stamina causing class absences
- Irritability
- Feelings of fear and anxiety about exams
Accommodations can include:
- Preferential seating, near door
- Prearranged or frequent breaks
- Audio recorder, note taking assistance
- Text, assignments in alternate formats
- Personal and private feedback
- Permit use of computer software
- Extended test taking time
- Separate, quiet room for testing
Students with Physical Disabilities
The phrase “physical disability” is used to describe a wide range of physical limitations and diagnoses, the most common of which would be someone that uses a wheelchair or other mobility device. Some limitations may be very severe and noticeable, while other are almost hidden or non-apparent. The most common barrier to academic success for a person with a physical disability is access. Access takes many forms, from a class assigned in an inaccessible building to the person’s own limitations preventing them from taking class notes. As with all other disabilities and impairments, it is important to treat students with physical disabilities fairly. Students with physical disabilities typically are very knowledgeable of both their limitations and abilities and are accustomed to communicating their needs to others.
Examples of physical disabilities include:
- Wheelchair users
- Amputees
- Speech impairments
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Multiple Sclerosis
Some limitations of students with physical disabilities are:
- Difficulty writing, such as class notes and on exams
- Sitting in a standard desk
- Participating in labs where lab tables and equipment are hard to reach
- Transportation
- Classrooms or buildings that are not wheelchair accessible
Possible accommodations include:
- Relocating a class or lab to an accessible building/space
- Audio recorder or notetaking assistance
- Accessible seating or table in the classroom
- Scribe for Scantrons and/or essay exams
- Additional time for completing exams
Students with Autism
College campuses are seeing an increase in the number of students who are diagnosed with Autism. Autistic individuals understand and respond to the thoughts and feelings of others in different ways compared to other individuals. Please note that no two students with Autism are alike in terms of how they respond to others and experience the educational environment.
Below are some examples of what one may encounter when working with Autistic students:
- The social behavior of persons with Autism may be naive and peculiar.
- Some Autistic students expect all people to be good, and it may be jarring for them to learn that some people may try to exploit them.
- They may not understand jokes, irony and metaphors.
- Autistic students may talk “at” rather than “to” people, disregarding the listener’s interest.
- Autistic students may talk too loud, stand too close and maintain poor eye contact.
- The individual usually does not accurately convey the intensity of his or her emotions until they are full blown, such that the reaction may appear to be far more intense than the situation warrants.
- Although Autistic individuals may crave social interaction, his or her unusual manner may rebuff others, leaving them feeling misunderstood and isolated.
- Difficulty “fitting in” with other college students (many students with Autism know they are different, there are some students that may have a desire to be “typical”).
- Social immaturity (interest in relationships can be appropriate for their physical developmental level, but their social developmental level may lag behind).
- Lack of structure (students may not know what to do with much more free time than in high school)
- Experience difficulty with classes that are not within their interests (often have preoccupations and they may not see the relevance of “core curriculum” classes).
- Difficulty dealing with ambiguity and lack of problem solving skills.
- Difficulty getting a job after college (poor interviewing skills, limited knowledge of how to look for a job, lack of references).
When interacting with a student with Autism:
- Use clear, specific language (avoid slang or regional terms).
- Give specific directions.
- Find out the students strengths and limitations and advise accordingly.
- Get to know the student so he/she will feel comfortable coming to you with problems.
- Help connect students to academic advisor or other professional who can be a resource.
- Set explicit guidelines for classroom behavior.
- Parents may be more involved in their student’s lives compared to other students.
- Communicate with the student’s Access Coordinator in Disability Resources if you observe any behavior or interactions that you are unsure of how to approach.