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Supporting Students with Disabilities

Supporting Students with Disabilities. for Academic Staff and Managers. Debbie Jones Humanitas July 2008. General knowledge considerations. Supporting students with disabilities. What Must I Know?. Basic facts about the disability – general knowledge

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Supporting Students with Disabilities

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  1. Supporting Students with Disabilities for Academic Staff and Managers Debbie Jones Humanitas July 2008

  2. General knowledge considerations Supporting students with disabilities

  3. What Must I Know? • Basic facts about the disability – general knowledge • Basic facts about how the disability impacts the particular student – how the disability “manifests” itself. • Awareness of types of accommodations that may assist the student including considerations of the use of technology

  4. What Must I Know? • An awareness of your own perceptions and misperceptions about disability

  5. Familiarize yourself with disability-related terminology.

  6. Person First Language • What is person first language? • Person first language puts the person before the disability and describes what a person has, not who a person is. • A “person with a disability” and not a “disabled” person

  7. Why Person First? • Group designations such as "the blind," "the retarded" or "the disabled" are inappropriate because they do not reflect the individuality, equality or dignity of people with disabilities. • Further, words like "normal person" imply that the person with a disability isn't normal, whereas "person without a disability" is descriptive but not negative. http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/comucate.htm

  8. Review of who is a person with a disability and legal requirements. Legal

  9. Who is a Qualified Person witha Disability? • A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person’s major life activities • Whether a particular person has an impairment that satisfies this definition, and whether a specific accommodation is appropriate for a particular person, must be determined on a case-by-case basis

  10. Legal Issues and Requirements • Why Accommodate? • It’s the Law! • Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504… “No program receiving federal funds may deny or exclude…” • Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 • Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 - Title III

  11. What to do when you suspect a disability exists? Suspicion of disability

  12. Referral for Suspicion of Disability • Referral Forms • Orientation • Student/staff • Disability Coordinator • Documentation • Observations/other • Requirements • Are you obligated to assess for disability?

  13. Accommodation plans and process. Reasonable Accommodation Considerations

  14. Reasonable Accommodation Process • The interdisciplinary/ reasonable accommodation team (IDT) meeting must be an interactive process [involving the applicant/student] • Collect/review documentation • Develop plan • Distribute plan • Who has a need to know? • Monitor for effectiveness • Review 45-60 days • Modify if needed

  15. Accommodation PlansIDT works with applicant or student to determine accommodation needs • Consider: • Physical • Medical • Emotional or Psychological • Educational • Accessibility • classrooms, career technical work areas, dorms • ALL areas on center • Impact of meds • Schedule adjustments • TABE, GED, career technical certification…

  16. Accommodation Plan Development • What accommodations has the individual received in the past? • IEP/504 Plans • Vocational Rehabilitation Documentation • What are the student’s strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, etc.? • Do the accommodations under consideration make use of the student’s strengths and preferred learning style(s)?

  17. Accommodation Plan Development • Are they sufficient to provide the student access to all areas of the program? • If not, what additional accommodations are necessary (e.g., in vocations, residential, other common areas)? • Do those accommodations remain relevant to the current situation?

  18. Examples of assistive technology and other types of accommodation options Accommodations

  19. Technology Considerations • Hi-tech • Text to speech • Voice dictation • Talking calculators/thermometers/tape measures • Digital/variable speed tape recorders • “Live-Scribe” pen

  20. “Paper Replay.” • Notes and audio can also be uploaded to a PC where they can be replayed, saved, searched and sent. • Additional applications available • math problems • definitions, voice output • preprinted materials • handwritten messages as emails • spoken messages/written notes

  21. Scan single words or full lines of text in seconds • See dictionary and thesaurus entries • Hear scanned words (including spelling), lines of text, definitions and thesaurus entries • Test Mode allows blocking of access to the dictionary and thesaurus during tests • Ergonomic and lightweight weighing only 3 ozs • Optical Character Recognition at 97% (based on standard font)

  22. Technology Considerations • Lo-tech • Specialty paper (e.g., graph, colored, textured) • Writing utensils & accessories (e.g., pencils, highlighters, grips, etc.) • Organizers (e.g., planners, calendars, etc.) • Positioning tools (e.g., clipboards, slant boards, velcro, etc.)

  23. Lo-tech examples • Pencil grips • Margin tape • Highlighters • Highlighter tape

  24. Other Accommodation Examples • Reducing number of items on assignment • Chunking materials into segments • Extended time • Study guides • Writing answers on same page as questions • Masking/line guides

  25. What works for one student with a disability may not work for another. Determine individualized needs. If an accommodation is not working, try something else.

  26. Instructional and learning strategies Strategies

  27. Memory Strategy Example • 5 • 8 • 0 • 2 • 9 • 0 • 6 • 1 • 0 • 3 • What strategy or strategies could we use to help us remember this series of numbers?

  28. Memory Strategy Suggestions • Chunking • Phone number format • (580) 290-6103 • Patterns • Repeating numbers • “0” every third number

  29. Memory Strategies • Repetition • Grouping • Mental Picture • Rhyming • Acronym • Abbreviation

  30. Teaching Learning Strategies • Assess the student’s awareness of the strategy to be used. • Provide opportunities for students to discuss, reflect upon, and practice the strategies with classroom materials and authentic tasks. • Provide feedback.

  31. Teaching Learning Strategies • Gradually have the student select the learning strategy to use for a particular activity or assignment. • Provide instruction, review, and provide feedback until the student is able to self-select and apply learning strategies effectively.

  32. Disability-related websites Resources

  33. Resource Organizations • Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) • JC Program Instruction 99-03 • Job Accommodation Network (JAN) • One-Stops – Disability Navigators • Centers for Independent Living • Other State Disability Service Agencies

  34. Job Corps Disability Website http://jcdisability.jobcorps.gov

  35. Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities Website http://jccdrc.jobcorps.gov/ld

  36. Supporting Students with Mental Health Disabilities Website http://jchealth.jobcorps.gov/health-topics/mhd

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