Empowering Students with Disabilities in Higher Education: The Role of Disability Services

1. Pełnosprawny Student IVKraków, 25 października 2010 r. The Role of Disability Services in Higher Education Build Leaders not Empires John Bennett Director Disability Resources & Services Temple University

2. Overview • Temple University. • Disability Resources & Services. • Services we provide. • Our philosophy. • Components of service development. • Examples of our work. • Questions

3. Temple University 27th largest university in the United States. Temple student population – 35,500. 9 Temple University campuses worldwide. 5th largest provider of professional education in the nation One of the 25 most high-tech campuses in the U.S. 260,000 Temple alumni live in all 50 states and 145 countries.

4. Disability Resources & Services A Department within the Division of Student Affairs that provides support services to students with various types of documented disabilities. Work with the University community in developing more inclusive experience for all, including students with a disability. Collaborate with Community partners on promoting higher education as a real opportunity for students with a disability. Liaise with community partners to cultivate a range of resources for students.

5. Staff • Director • Associate Director • Assistant Director • 4 * Student Services Coordinators • Secretary • 14 student employees – 10 hours/week. • Contract ASL Interpreters and CART

6. What is the Difference Between High School and Higher Ed? • POST SECONDARY (Section 504) • Students who are “otherwise qualified” must be afforded the opportunity to access the educational program as it exists (i.e., student must meet admissions standards) • Student must self-identify, presenting documentation that meets University guidelines. • “Essential Elements” of the program cannot be altered • University provides academic accommodations; student responsible for services • Students assume responsibility ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY (IDEA) • ENTITLEMENT: Free Appropriate Public Education must be provided in the Least Restrictive Environment to all children, ages 3 – 21 (or until diploma is earned) • School is responsible for identifying/diagnosing disabilities • Individualized Education Plan (I.E.P.) • Most services are provided (i.e., tutoring, classroom aid, etc.) • Parents involvement is required

7. How many? *Source: Report to the Chairman, Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, October 2009 www.gao.gov/new.items/d1033.pdf • Temple student population – 35,500 • Total registered with DRS – Approximately 1,100 • 3-4% of eligible students choose to/know to register with disability services in higher education • 11% of all undergraduates nationwide report having a disability *

8. Distribution by Disability? • 44% Learning disability - LD, ADD, ADHD • 23% Significant medical disability • Chrohn’s disease Juvenile Diabetes • Cancer MS • Heart disease Epilepsy • 21% Psychological/psychiatric disability • Bi-polar OCD • Depression Anxiety/panic disorders • 6% Physical disability • Spinal Cord Injury Limb Loss • Spinal Bifida Cerebral Palsy • 3% Visual disability - Blind and visually impaired • 3% Hearing disability - Deaf and hard-of-hearing

9. How are they are doing? • Within +/- 0.2 GPA of general population (4pt GPA scale) • Finalists in many national and international academic awards and scholarships – Marshall, Rhodes, etc. • YES, they are academically successful! • Employment - 65% unemployment http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/disabl.pdf

10. Reasonable Accommodations Accessible Housing Options Sign Language and CART Services Note taking Alternate Format Materials Assistive Technology Testing taking Accommodations

11. Student support DRS professional staff spend much time offering students; • Advocacy skills • Information and Advice • Strategy exploration • Referral to other student services • Funding resources • Internships opportunities

12. Personal Aids & Services It is the students responsibility to provide for the following; • Personal Care Assistant • Transport to University • Mobility guide • Home study aid/reader • Technology at home • Extra 1/1 tuition • Medical equipment

13. Where are Services today? Broadly speaking across the profession, services; • Have highly skilled staff. • Are seen as the purveyors of all Disability related knowledge. • Are centralized. • Are accommodation focused. • Rely on student to disclose and seek accommodation.

14. Disability Services, what do we do differently at Temple? Moving towards a focus on inclusion and less on accommodations. Focus more on common challenges and less on disability labels. Active role in defining and implementing a University wide inclusion strategies for all students including students with a disability. Retain high-end specialist services/roles. Build partnerships beyond the University. Go beyond legal compliance.

15. Inclusion V Accommodation INCLUSION • No requirement for disclosure. • Disability as a component of diversity. • Reducing/eliminating deficit in the environment, system or process. • Proactive. • Independent Learner. • Contributes to retention of all students. • Beyond compliance. • Often more cost effective • ACCOMODATION • Requirement for disclosure. • Disability/deficit in individual. • Deficit in the environment, system or process go unfixed • Reactive. • Reliant on individual support • Non disclosure = no accommodations = greater risk of academic failure. • Meets minimal compliance. • Can be expensive

16. Key Components of Service Development • Leadership • Unified Vision • Connect to University Mission • Involve all levels of University management • Research • Research partnerships • Gather data/evidence • Research informed service development • Strategic Planning • Plan to integrate where appropriate the needs of students with a disability in to the greater fabric of the University. • Strategic partnerships.

17. Key Components of Service Development • Innovation • See past the traditional - Think innovatively • National and International best practice • Technology • Partnership • Across University • Inter University • Community • Internationally • Lead to increased Funding opportunities

18. Key Components of Service Development • Knowledge • Invest in your partners • Disability Services staff • University Faculty and Staff • The Students we seek to include • Environmental/Systemic Change • More inclusive environment leads to less individual accommodations for students. • Universal Design

19. Key Components of Service Development • Program Standards • We know we are good…But how do we really know? • Define professional standards under which we operate within. • Students • Invest in student leaders. • Allow them to be part of your team.

20. Often Disability Professionals say; • Planning! I have not enough time to see all these students and you want me to be on another Committee! • I spend all my day seeing students, I have no time for delivering training. • Student Development? Independent learners? • I can’t do it, I have no funding.

21. Planning • A camel is a horse designed by a committee (Sir Alec Issigonis) • Choose your planning partnerships/opportunities carefully. • Get on the important committees/taskforces. • Often it is not the purpose of the committee that is important, it is the people you have access to while on that committee that is. • University Strategic Planning Committee. • CHART – Campus Health Assessment & Response Taskforce. • TECH Advisory Group. • Academic Advisers Directors Group. • CARE - Crisis Assessment, Response, and Education Team Emergency Planning Taskforce. • Division of Student Affairs Leadership Team.

22. Training Invest in your University partners Build your team Faculty are your partner Project EDIT

23. Student Development Project Access TU Adapted Recreation Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation financial support Federal Workforce Development Program Project RETAIN Student organization Independent learners

24. I have no funding Academic year 2009/10 Project EDIT $50,000 Project ACCESS TU $ 8,000 Project ERGO $28,000 Project RETAIN $ 5,000 Project REMOTE $10,000 Project Browse Aloud $15,000 Project Read and Write $25,000 I have no funding $141,000

25. Links of interest • www.temple.edu • www.temple.edu/disability • www.ahead.org • www.cped.uconn.edu/ • www.cas.edu • www.heath.gwu.edu • www.gao.gov/new.items/d1033.pdf • www.accesscollege.ie/dare/index.php

26. Build Leaders not Empires

27. Thank you! Contact: John Bennett Director Disability Resources & Services Temple University www.temple.edu/disability John.Bennett@temple.edu Partner Konferencji: Urząd Miasta Krakowa Konferencja pod patronatem: Minister Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego, prof. dr hab. Barbary Kudryckiej,