Wounded Warriors and the ADA in Higher Education John D. Mikelson

1. Wounded Warriors and the ADA in Higher Education John D. Mikelson

2. Beyond the ADA • About 10 percent of post-9/11 vets are officially classified as disabled. • The government sets a high bar for categorizing veterans as disabled. One out of four veterans who are "very injured" is not officially considered disabled because government regulations require the veteran to be unable to carry out day-to-day responsibilities.

3. The new veterans have different types of injuries than previous veterans, Mostly trauma to the head and limbs. • Another group of new veterans are women, accounting for 12 percent of those who have sought care through the VA. • Some female veterans are claiming PTSD due to military sexual trauma - a new challenge from a disability rating standpoint.

4. Visible Wounds • More than 1,600 have lost a limb; many others lost fingers or toes. • At least 156 are blind, and thousands of others have impaired vision. • More than 177,000 have hearing loss, and more than 350,000 report tinnitus, • Thousands are disfigured, as many as 200 of them so badly that they may need face transplants.

5. Invisible Wounds • More than 400,000 of these new veterans have been treated by the VA for a mental health problem, most commonly, PTSD • Tens of thousands of veterans suffered traumatic brain injury, or TBI - mostly mild concussions from bomb blasts - and doctors don't know what's in store for them long-term. • A brain injury also makes the brain more susceptible to PTSD.

6. The Little Things • On a more mundane level, many new veterans have back, shoulder and knee problems, aggravated by carrying heavy packs and wearing the body armor that helped keep them alive. • One recent study found that 19 percent required orthopedic surgery consultations and 4 percent needed surgery after returning from combat

7. Common misconceptions in dealing with student veterans with disabilities Veterans are too dumb to go to college, they should have arrived right after High School Veterans all have PTSD and are prone to violence on campus Their Brain injuries preclude them from learning Our school does not have any barriers to learning for people with disabilities

8. Vocational Rehabilitation & EducationChapter 31 • The program assists veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs. • IVRS can also be used to assist student with disabilities

9. VR&E • •Post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical or business school • •Supportive rehabilitation services including case management, counseling, and medical referrals • •Comprehensive rehabilitation evaluation to determine abilities, skills, and interests for employment • •On the Job Training (OJT), apprenticeships, and non-paid work experiences

10. Academic Accommodations • Universal Design in Learning (UDL) • Strategies for accommodating students with disabilities in the classroom are consistent with universal design for learning (UDL). Many UDL strategies suggested for helping all students, such as using graphic organizers, presenting visual information in small chunks with plenty of white space, building in pauses for processing and note-taking, are also of benefit to students with disabilities. Conversely, many strategies for assisting students with disabilities can benefit all students.

11. Reasonable accommodation is any change in the educational environment or in how things are usually done that result in an equal learning opportunity. • examples of common academic adjustments: • reduced course loads, • priority in class registration, • extra time on examinations, • real-time transcription technology or sign language interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, • screen reading or magnifying software, written materials in large print or audio books for people with vision disabilities • modified desks that will accommodate wheelchairs. An accommodation could also mean a flexible class schedule or attendance policy to allow a student to attend their VA appointments. Everyone has both rights and responsibilities. In the case of the inclusion of students with disabilities in postsecondary activities, faculty members have the right to require that students demonstrate knowledge and skills essential to the course content. On the other hand, qualified students with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodations.

12. Campus Specific Initiatives • veteran services on campus and in the greater community.

13. Student Veteran Organizations CLINTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE DRAKE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL HAWKEYE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY KAPLAN UNIVERSITY-DAVENPORT SCOTT COMMUNITY COLLEGE ST. AMBROSE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF IOWA UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA • Student Veterans of America

14. Capacity Building (National) • NACADA • Advising Veterans, Military Students and Family Members Interest Group • NASPA • Veterans Knowledge Community • AHEAD • Veterans Special Interest Group • NAVPA • AVECO (Regional) • CCME • Servicemen’s Opportunity College (SOC) • American Council on Education (ACE) • http://www.vetfriendlytoolkit.org/

15. State Assets • IowAAN • Iowa Advisory Council on Military Education • Iowa's Statewide Military and Veterans Conference • Home Base Iowa • Education Initiative • VA Outreach • Military Education Service Office • School Certifying Official/ Dept of ED SAA

16. Questions? Midwest Military Outreach Inc. 50 2nd Avenue Bridge Cedar Rapids IA 52401 Office: 1-319-321-1387 E-mail: jmikelson16@gmail.com Our Mission We connect Service Members, Veterans and their families to the resources they need. MMO provides support in the critical life areas of; family, employment, education, financial education and health.; Our mission is to empower and retain the talent of our Service Members, Veterans and their families as they transition to productive civilian life.