Accessible Student Services: Ensuring Equal Opportunities for Students with Disabilities

1. 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

2. Resources

3. Visit The Student Services Conference Room athttp://www.washington.edu/doit/Conf/

4. Factors Influencing the Increased Participation of Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education • Survival rate • Technology • K-12 special education • Awareness

5. Undergraduates Reporting a Disability Among the 6% of undergraduates who reported a disability, the percentage of each type: Learning disabilities 46% Mobility or orthopedic impairments 14% Health impairments 12% Mental illness or emotional disturbance 8% Hearing impairments 6% Blindness and visual impairments 5% Speech or language impairments 1% Other impairments 9% Source: National Center for Education Statistics (1999)

6. 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.”

7. “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; or • provision of auxiliary aids and services.

8. “Person with a disability”is any person who: • has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working; • has a record of such an impairment; or • is regarded as having such an impairment.

9. Examples of DisabilitiesLow VisionBlindnessHearing ImpairmentsMobility ImpairmentsMental Health/Psychiatric ImpairmentsHealth ImpairmentsLearning Disabilities

10. 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 University1

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

12. Consider accessibility with respect to: • Planning, Policies, & Evaluation • Facility & Environment • Staff • Information Resources • Computers, Software, & Assistive Technology • Events

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. StaffCommunicationGuidelines • General • Visual Impairments • Learning Disabilities • Mobility Impairments • Speech Impairments • Hearing Impairments • Psychiatric Impairments

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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)

23. 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

24. 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)

25. 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

26. 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

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