Preface

Applicable Laws

• Chapter One: Services for Students with Disabilities
• Chapter Two: Classroom Accommodation
• Chapter Three: Different Disabilities Have Different Needs
• Chapter Four: How I Can Get Students to Talk to Me About Their Accommodation Needs?
• Chapter Five: Working with Disabled Students

• Student Agreement for Taping Lecturers
• References and Suggested Reading
• Area Agency Listing

Preface

Eastern Michigan University has a tradition of providing access to education for students with disabilities that began long before the enactment of federal or state law governing accommodation. Legislation of the past few years has specified terms and limitations of accommodation and accessibility issues that have increased awareness and further defined educational opportunity for students and potential students with varying kinds of accommodation needs.

As might be expected, EMU's faculty has been most responsive to the needs of a wide variety of special students and continues to show great flexibility in instruction and advising without diluting the quality or the expectation of the educational experience.

The purpose of this publication is to clarify the legal obligations of the institution regarding students with disabilities and to provide other information which will assist faculty and staff in providing accommodations for students with disabilities.

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1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act

This definition was later expanded by The Learning Disabilities Associations as follows:

Unlike Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the ADA applies to employers, public services, public accommodations, communication providers and transportation providers regardless of whether they receive or benefit from federal funding.

The ADA defines a person with a disability to mean a person who:

• has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
• has a record of such an impairment;
• is regarded as having such an impairment.

The ADA provides coverage in five different areas:

• Employment
• Public services/transportation
• Public accommodations/transportation
• Telecommunications
• Miscellaneous

State of Michigan provides protections similar to those contained in Section 504. The Michigan Handicapper's Civil Rights Act, Article 4, Section 402 states that:

Exclude, expel, limit, or otherwise discriminate against an individual seeking admission as a student or an individual enrolled as a student in the terms, conditions, and privileges of the institution, because of a handicap that is unrelated to the individuals ability to utilize and benefit from the institution, or because of the use by an individual of adaptive devices or aids."

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Access Service Office (ASO), as part of the Dean of Students operation, is usually the first place a student is referred to when a disability is declared. Office personnel interview the student or the prospective student, obtain necessary documentation and explain EMU offering to meet the student's needs. The office provides, at no cost to students, sign language interpreters, NCR paper for note taking and individualized and timed testing accommodations. The office acts as liaison with Michigan Rehabilitation Services, the Commission for the Blind and other social agencies.

The ASO provides academic accommodations for students in both classroom and testing situations. ASO assists in making policy or procedural changes that allow more accessibility, and the ASO serves as a resource for faculty and staff regarding accommodations. Students who are referred by faculty or who are concerned about having a learning disability can get accurate information about accommodations and referral for testing. ASO assists students with interpretation of test results and/or medical information and, with student's input, determines which accommodations would be most appropriate to their needs. ASO believes that students are the most valuable resources for determining the accommodations they need to succeed in class. ASO encourages students to take an active role as their own advocate and make use of the services available to them on campus. Critical to the whole process of accommodation and inclusion of students with disabilities as full participants in their experience as EMU students is the understanding and support that informed faculty and staff can give them. It is with this spirit of cooperation that we present this information to EMU faculty and staff.

Older students or those who have recently been declared disabled may not know what accommodations are available or what will assist them. When this happens, a recommendation to the Access Service Office is appropriate. Generally, students work directly with their professors, ASO requires that official documentation from a physician, psychologist, school district official reports, the Veterans Administration or the Social Security Administration be on file if services come throughout this office. If further testing is indicated, students will be referred to the appropriate person, department or agency. ASO works closely with faculty members, Eastern Michigan University Counseling Services, Michigan Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Veterans Services so that students may get the assistance they need.

The Center of Adaptive Technology Education (CATE) has a number of adaptive technological capabilities that are accessible and helpful to disabled students. The ASO has a referral program for students who may require additional technical support. The CATE and ASO work together to provide assistance to enhance each individual student's success at EMU! CATE is located in the Rackham Building.

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At the beginning of each term, students who have requested special accommodations because of a disability through ASO will give faculty a letter indicating what accommodations are appropriate for them. This letter is provided to break the embarrassing barriers many students, especially new or younger students, may feel about discussing accommodations with a professor and provide legitimacy to their requests for accommodations. Prior to receiving the letters, students must have registered with ASO, have documentation on file and have signed a release to discuss academic issues with faculty. ASO is then, with approval of the student, able to discuss with faculty members academic accommodation concerns of any kind.

Testing Facilities: Testing if provided in the ASO or the CATE laboratory with the use of many adaptive technological devices and techniques. A student may use computer technology to take an exam with voice recognition at the CATE lab. The test center is appropriate when allowing extra time on tests and/or employing human test readers.

Not all students with disabilities need testing accommodations and will not have a letter requesting it. They may need only note taker assistance or they may choose to work individually with the instructors for other classroom or testing accommodations. Students themselves, may be the most reliable source for their accommodation needs. Through good communication, students and faculty can discuss what accommodations have worked best for them in the past and how to incorporate these things into the classroom. ASO assists students in becoming their own best advocate while supporting their needs, and assists faculty by providing information, discussing accommodation appropriateness and assisting with testing accommodations.

• Include in the syllabus or announce at the first class meeting: "Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodations for any sort of disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hours." This approach preserves student's privacy and also indicates the willingness of the faculty members to provide assistance as needed.
• Confidentiality of all disability information is essential. At no time should the class be informed that a student has a disability, except at the students request. All disability information that the student gives to the faculty member is used specifically for arranging reasonable accommodations for the course of study.
• Provide students with a detailed course syllabus which is available before registration.
• If possible, select a textbook with an accompanying study guide for optional use by students.
• Clearly spell out expectations at the beginning of the course (e.g. grading, material to be covered, due dates).
• Announce reading assignments well in advance for students who are using taped materials or other alternative formats. It takes an average of six weeks to get a book tape-recorded.
• Start each lecture with an outline of material to be covered that period. At the conclusion of class, briefly summarize key points.
• Speak directly to students, use gestures and natural expressions to convey further meaning.
• Present new or technical vocabulary on the blackboard, overhead projector or use a handout. Terms should be used in context to convey greater meaning.
• Give assignments both orally and in written form to avoid confusion.
• Facilitate use of tape recorders for note taking by allowing students to tape lectures.
• Provide adequate opportunities for questions and answers, including review sessions.
• Provide study questions for exams that demonstrate the format of the test, as well as study questions on the content.
• Allow students with disabilities requiring alternate testing formats to demonstrate mastery of course material using methods appropriate to the student and the subject matter (e.g. extended time limits for testing, taped exams, individually proctored exams in a separate room).
• Permit use of simple calculators, scratch pad and speller's dictionaries during exams.
• Encourage students to use campus support services.

Faculty Note: You are in a particularly important position with respect to textbook publishers. They depend on you for purchases of their product. As a standard part of the contract, you may request that the book be made available in alternative formats, usually audio tapes, in the book store; or have the publisher send two(2) copies of the book to Recordings for the Blind to begin the taping process. You have the ability to assist disabled students on a long term basis!

All classes and activities need be accessible to all persons attending. This means that events should be held in accessible areas that can accommodate faculty, staff and alumni, and are accessible for all those in attendance.

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Different disabilities Have Different Needs

• Students with mobility impairments may need the following accommodations to assist them in their educational efforts: campus map, note takers, personal care attendants, tape recorders, writers, typists and wheelchair space. Contact the Access Service Office (ASO) for help with these services.

• Students who are totally blind may need the following accommodations to assist them in their educational efforts: orientations mobility sessions, Brailler syllabi, Kurzweil reading machine, note readers, Perkins Brailler, record book, raised line drawings, readers, relief maps, slate and stylus, talking calculators, tape recorders, voice computer equipment, large print books and magnifiers.
• Students who have a visual impairment may need the following accommodations to assist them in their educational efforts: closed circuit TV, magnifier, enlarged handouts, image and enlarging computer equipment.
• Students who are hearing impaired may need the following accommodations to assist them in their educational efforts: desk location, visualize information, F.M. loop, auditory trainer, interpreters, note takers, self-carbon note taking paper and the instructor to speak facing toward the class.

Students who have a learning disability:

A learning disability is a general term for a number of specific disabilities. A learning disability affects the manner in which individuals with normal to above average intelligence take in, retain or express information. The incoming or outgoing information may become scrambled, diverted or delayed in one of the following areas: reading comprehension, written expression, spelling, math computation and problem solving, organizational ability, time management, visual, auditory and/or tactile perception or spoken language. A learning disability is intrinsic to the individual student and is presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction. A learning disability may occur concomitantly with other disabilities but is not the result of them.

Students with these difficulties may also exhibit a variety of behaviors such as inattentiveness and restlessness or may seem easily disorganized, forgetful, confused or self-conscious. Some learning disabled students may have often been told that they are lazy. Many LD students often believe it. They have found that no matter how hard they try, they cannot improve their grades. Many times these students have low self-esteem resulting from the negative feedback and their own perceptions of failure to perform adequately. Many college students with learning disabilities are able to succeed in the course work with little or no accommodations until they reach the more demanding upper division courses. Students who have never been diagnosed are usually referred to disability services by faculty who notice that these students have academic performance difficulties during the junior year.

Some of the common characteristics that people with learning disabilities share:

• LD adults have average-to-above-average intellectual ability.
• There is a discrepancy between achievement and potential with uneven abilities within the same individual. There are often marked discrepancies between oral contributions in class and in-class essays, exams and/or papers.
• Each LD adult has a distinct combination of abilities and deficiencies and, therefore, a unique profile. Some areas of functioning will be average, above average or even in the gifted range, while deficiencies will vary from minimal to severe.
• LD adults have processing deficits:
• Listening deficits (auditory): Because some LD adults misperceive what they hear, they misunderstand or do not comprehend what is being said.
• Perceptual problems (visual): Others have difficulty seeing accurately what is before them. Reversals, rotations or inversions of numbers and/or letters still plague some LD adults, especially when they are under pressure.

Long and short-term auditory and visual memory deficits are also quite common. Some LD adults have difficulty remembering what they hear. For some, verbal information, such as complex oral directions, is difficult to retain. For others, numerical information like distances, population size, or dates may not be retained. Remembering a series of letters, which is especially necessary in spelling non-phonetic words, requires adequate long-term visual memory. The high proportion of LD adults who are poor spellers attests to the persistence and frequency of this type of memory deficit. (Vogel, 1990)

Certain limitations or characteristics may exist, however, not all students with learning disabilities will demonstrate all problems.

READING SKILLS

• Poor word analysis and recognition
• Slow reading rate
• Problems in inferential or literal comprehension
• Difficulty identifying the main idea or theme
• Difficulty retaining information read
• Confusion of similar word sounds (Valenti, 1989 and Vogel, 1990)

WRITTING SKILLS

• Preference for manuscript rather than cursive
• Overuse of the printed form of the upper case
• Overly large or cramped handwriting
• Poorly formed or illegible letters
• Spelling errors, especially in a foreign language
• Difficulty with sentence structure
• Difficulty with organization of thought
• Slow writing ability under timed constraints (Valenti, 1989 and Vogel, 1990)

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

• Difficulty with fundamental operations and an incomplete mastery of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Reasoning deficits
• Reverses numbers
• Confuses operational symbols
• Problems with abstract concepts
• Problems figuring out calculations mentally
• Difficulty keeping columns
• Associated non-verbal disorders such as problems in left-right and spatial orientation (Valenti, 1989 and Vogel, 1990)

ORAL LANGUAGE

• Difficulty expressing ideas out loud
• Difficulty remembering or understanding oral instructions
• Difficulty concentrating on long lectures
• Difficulty sequencing ideas correctly or describing events
• Vocabulary weaknesses
• Word-finding difficulties
• Slightly slurred speech, especially when fatigued
• Difficulty learning to speak a foreign language (Valenti, 1989 and Vogel, 1990)

STUDY SKILLS

• Time management difficulties
• Difficulty outlining and note taking
• Poor short-term memory to recall material
• Difficulty initiating and sustaining consistent effort on a task
• Problems integrating information from various sources
• Trouble with test taking strategies
• Inefficient use of the dictionary, thesaurus, and other self-help handbooks
• Difficulty completing assignments independently
• Difficulty selecting relevant facts from irrelevant details
• Difficulty preparing for tests (Valenti, 1989 and Vogel, 1990)

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The most frequently asked question by faculty members at workshops is, "How do I get learning disabled students to ask for accommodations?" Most faculty members are willing to discuss and provide appropriate accommodations. However, many do not find out until it is too late that accommodations are needed because the student did no come forward. Faculty members may ask if they could be provided with the names of LD students in their classes in order that they might offer support. While the faculty's request is understandable, it is neither legal for the service provider to offer such a list, nor is it necessarily in the best interest of the LD student. Legally students have a right NOT to be identified as disabled if they so choose. They will not get accommodations unless they identify themselves, but that also is their choice. Moreover, while faculty is concerned about maximizing the learning experience in class for this student, the service provider must also be concerned with helping the student develop the independence and self-advocacy that will help him or her outside of the classroom while in college. Learning disabled students NEED to explain their disability, describe their needs and negotiate appropriate accommodations. Their need for accommodations may always exist. The skills needed to obtain such accommodations should also be developed on a "permanent" basis.

For all these reasons, it is appropriate for students to take the responsibility of identifying themselves and their need for accommodations to you rather than vice versa. There is, however, something that you can do to help students in the process. It is very difficult to identify yourself, time after time, as being "different", more so for the learning disabled student whose disability is invisible. Students will feel more comfortable about identifying themselves in this manner if they are approaching someone who they believe to be receptive in the discussion. You might try including a sentence like this in every course syllabus you put together:

• Responsibility for meeting the timely and procedural requirements established by the student and faculty member when they meet in advance to discuss examination schedules, request assistance and agree upon other accommodations.
• One option available is a written contract. A sample of a contract is contained in the Appendix. This allows there to be little or no confusion about the accommodations to be provided. Such a document, signed by both the teacher and the student, serves to underscore the importance of these requirements and may protect the faculty member later if the student complains about unavailable services. (Jarrow, and King, 1990)

Common Disabilities Among College Students:

The conditions listed below are not as visible or as commonly associated with disabilities seen in the college-aged population. As with other disabling conditions, reasonable accommodations may be necessary in classroom or testing situations. Instructors should give as much advance notice as possible regarding reading assignments or class projects. These students may depend on readers and/or taped material for completing the required reading and research; they may need more time to complete their tasks.

A few of the other conditions that may require accommodations are:

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• Students who have hand impairments as the result of injury to the hand or back; carpal tunnel syndrome may require note takers and a writer for tests and quizzes.
• Students with disabilities that are not visible may have to leave the classroom unexpectedly due to diabetes, hypoglycemia, bladder control problems or angina that require immediate attention.
• Medications may alter cognitive and performance levels. Adaptations in class schedules for speeches, exams, etc. may be a reasonable accommodation.
• A disability doesn't have to be visible to be disabling as in cancer, use of a pacemaker, back injury or high blood pressure.

Testing Procedures:

ASO provides testing accommodations for students with disabilities who qualify for this assistance. This service may be helpful for faculty who find it difficult to arrange extended time for testing situations; contact ASO for more information.

• Readers: Individuals who volunteer or are employed by the student to read printed material in person or onto audio tape.
• Recorded Books: Most recorded books come from the Recordings for the Blind. Information on Recordings for the Blind is available at ASO.
• Note Takers: Individuals who volunteer or are paid to take notes for the student.
• Tape Recorders: There are often used in class to record lectures. If the faculty person plans to publish his/her lectures, the student may be asked to sign an agreement not to release the recording that might interfere with the copyright processes.
• Models: There are usually plastic reproductions of micro-organisms, organs, molecule structures, etc. which the student can hold. Miniature reproductions of art and architecture are also available.
• Talking Calculators: Hand held or desk top calculators that emit synthesized speech.
• Kurzweil Reading Machine: An optical scanner that produces synthetic speech from written materials.

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In Section 504 of the Rehabilitaion Act of 1973, the "Rules and Regulations" section outlines the procedures for compliance. "A recipient to which this subject applies may not impose on handicapped stutents...rules such as the prohibition of tape recorders (or braillers) in classrooms...that have the effect of limiting the participation of handicapped students in the recipient's education program or activity."

A number of professors may later want to copyright lectures and are concerned about allowing students to record their lectures. The following sample agreement, signed by the student at the beginning of the term, may prevent misunderstandings.

Date:

I, _________________ agree that I will not release the tape recording or transciption

or otherwise hinder ___________________ 's ability to obtain copyright on lectures

I have taped during _____________________, in ________________________.

__________________________(Student Signature) _________________(Date)

__________________________(Professor Signature) _________________(Date)

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Bannister, P. B. & R. Baker. "The Professors Handbook for Working with Disabled Students." University of Washington, 1979.

Goldstein, Michael and Goldstein, Sam. "A Parents Guide: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children." Neurology Learning and Behavior Center Publications, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1989.

Goodrich, Chris. "Working Effectively with Handicapped Students: A Faculty Handbook." Portland State University, 1989.

Higher Education and the Handicapped (HEALTH) Resource Center: Various publications and materials.

Howard, Diane W. "Swimming Upstream: A Complete Guide to the College Application Process for the Learning Disabled Student." Hunt House Publishing, Texas, 1988.

Kalivoda, K., Young, F.S. and D. L. Wahlers. "Students with Disabilities: A Guide for Faculty and Staff." University of Georgia, 1989.

Karnes, J. "Alternatives for Teaching Disabled Students on a College Campus." University of Kentucky, 1984.

Palmer, W. "Focusing on the Positive: Accommodating Disabled Students in your College Classroom." Portland Community College, 1987.

Reiling, Carolee. "How Significant is 'Significant'? A personal Glimpse of Life with a Learning Disability." AHSSPPE, Columbus, Ohio.

Seagal, Laura and Wren, Carol. "College Students with Learning Disabilities: A Student's Perspective." De Paul University Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1985.

Shore, Kenneth. "The Special Education Handbook" Warner Books, 1986.

Straughn, Charles. T. "LoveJoy's College Guide for the Learning Disabled." Monarch Press, NY 1988.

Valenti, Robert and Susan Vogel. "College Students with Learning Disabilities: A Handbook for College LD Students, Admissions Officers, Faculty, and Administrators." ACLD Bookstore, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Third Edition, 1990.

Will, Madeleine. "Educating Students with Learning Problems: A Shared Responsibility." Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, Washington, DC, 1986.

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