Pos t-Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities

1. Post-Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities February 27, 2009 Students with Learning Disorders: Early Identification Promotes Successful College Transition Regents Center for Learning Disorders Beverly Sermons, Ed.D. Nancy Larkin Reed, Ph.D.

2. Topics • What do students/parents need to do to prepare for the transition to the post-secondary setting? • What’s different at the postsecondary level? • What is the role of the Regents Centers in serving students with learning disorders? • How and when can students access Regents Center for Learning Disorders’ services? • What are the Board of Regents criteria for documenting learning disorders (ADHD, LD, ABI, and psychological disorder), and what is the rationale? • How are accommodations, including assistive technology, determined? • How is the Alternative Media Access Center affecting how accommodations, including assistive technology, are determined?

3. Preparing Students to Transition to the Board of Regents System

4. The Official Guide for Parents, Teachers, Students, School Counselors, and Psychologists www.gsu.edu/rcld/BORWEB/introduction.html

5. Summary of Performance • Recommended Summary of Performance Form for K-12 http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwrld/ SummaryofPerformance.pdf

6. Post-Secondary Education and Disability: Philosophical & Policy Shift • Philosophical Shift • College education requires a higher level of knowledge/training and individual maturity • Responsibility shifts from institution to students • Policy Shift • IDEA vs. ADA • Process is not retroactive

7. IDEA • Right to education • District identifies • Free evaluation • IEP process • Special Education

8. ADA/504 • No “right” to education • Student self-identifies • Student responsible for documentation • No IEP • No Special Education • Student still must meet technical standards

9. IDEA and ADA: AComparison IDEA ADA Free and appropriate mandatory education Entitlement Law Remedial learning tools Outcome oriented: successful learning Optional education Civil Rights Law Aids and accommodations Equal access, not equal success

10. Qualifications for Services under ADA • Existence of a legitimate disability • Substantial limitation to one or more major life functions, including learning • Essential course requirements are not altered • Documentation that verifies a need for accommodation

11. Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act& the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of a public entity. • www.adabill.com

12. The Principle of ‘Otherwise Qualified’ • Students must meet criteria for admission. • Students must have potential to do the work. • Students must be able to meet academic • standards of institution.

13. Preparing Your Student The Role of Teachers and Administrators

14. Early Identification as Predictor of Success Identified/Served in k-12 Service Not identified/served in k-12 • Increased self awareness • Savvy/knowledgeable of disability • Self advocacy skills • Benefited from remediation • Developed compensatory skills • Study skills; learning strategies • Lack of self-awareness • Limited knowledge of disability • Minimal advocacy skills • Deficit areas not remediated • Lacks self-compensation skills • Poor study habits & learning strategies

15. Early Identification as Predictor of Success Identified/Served in k-12 Service Not identified/served in k-12 • Exposure to assistive technology • Positive memory of services • Connected to community agencies • Greater parental involvement & support • Sharper critical thinking skills • Little to no AT exposure & usage • Recalls only struggles/disconnect • Not connected to agency supports • Parental disconnect and confusion about where support is needed • Lacks the critical thinking skills needed for college academics

18. Preparing Your Student The Role of the Parents/Guardians

19. Preparing your student for college (and for life!) Help your student develop realistic goals Think long-term (you can’t always be there) Teach self-advocacy skills from the beginning Strengths and weaknesses Necessary accommodations Independence

20. Preparing your student for college (and for life!) • Advocate for evidenced-based teaching and remediation • Advocate for Universal Design for Learning • Know the difference between remediation and tutoring • Know the difference between testing and teaching

21. Preparing your student for college (and for life!) • Be knowledgeable about Assistive Technology • Includes a broad range of services, strategies, and practices • Helps an individual carry out a functional activity, such as reading or writing

22. Preparing your student for college (and for life!) • Advocate for appropriate Assistive Technology right from the beginning • Content should be at the level of the students’ ability, NOT their disability • Critical that students come to college knowing how to use the appropriate Assistive Technology

23. The Role of the Regents Centers for Learning Disorders

24. RCLDs: Three Main Purposes • Conduct comprehensive standardized assessments and review submitted documentation for accommodations • Provide consultation and support to Disability Service Providers at referring institutions • Engage in academic research and clinical training

25. Regents Centers • The University of Georgia • Interim Director, Will Lindstrom, Ph.D. • Liaison, Gerri Wolfe, Ph.D. • Georgia State University • Director, Mary Morris, Ph.D. • Liaison, Nancy Reed, Ph.D. • Georgia Southern University • Director, George Shaver, Ph.D. • Liaison, Beverly Sermons, Ed.D.

27. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Bainbridge College Coastal Georgia Community College Darton College East Georgia College Georgia Southern University Middle Georgia College Savannah State University South Georgia College Valdosta State University Waycross College RCLD:Georgia Southern University

28. Atlanta Metropolitan College Clayton University Columbus State University Dalton State College Georgia Highlands College Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Perimeter College Georgia Southwestern State University Georgia State University Gordon College Kennesaw State University North Georgia College and State University Southern Polytechnic State University University of West Georgia RCLD:Georgia State University

29. RCLD:University of Georgia • Augusta State University • Fort Valley State University • Georgia College and State University • Georgia Gwinnett College • Macon State College • Medical College of Georgia • University of Georgia • Gainesville College • PLUS: E-CORE and E-MBA enrolled students

30. The Admissions Process

31. STEP ONEPreadmissions Process Accommodations on preadmissions high- stakes tests (SAT, ACT) http://www.collegeboard.com/parents

32. Admissions and College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) Requirements* Students who received waivers from the State Board of Education for the Foreign Language requirement will be considered as having met the CPC requirement for Foreign Language for admission purposes. *Board of Regents Academic Affairs Handbook 2.22.01 http://www.usg.edu/admin/accaff/handbook/section2/2.22

33. Georgia Department of Education Contacts for Waivers Lynn Holland Learning Disabilities Consultant Phone: 404-657-9960 lholland@doe.k12.ga.us Sue Dorman Phone: 404-656-3689 sdohrman@doe.k12.ga.us

34. STEP TWO • Begin admissions process no later than Fall of Senior year • Prepare for obtaining accommodations at the college level • Gather existing documentation • Determine what is missing • Begin process of bringing documentation up to BOR standards, if necessary

35. STEP THREE • Students must meet criteria for admission. (Refer to the institution’s website for further information) • Students must be able to meet academic standards of institution. • Admissions is legally “blind” to disability status.

36. STEP FOURAFTER ADMISSION TO COLLEGE • Complete the “Declaration of Disability” • Contact the school’s Office of Disability Services • Provide documentation (a) Outside evaluation (Agency/Private Evaluation) meeting BOR criteria or (b) New evaluation through RCLD

37. STEPFIVEBefore Classes Start and Once Documentation is Approved • Determine appropriate accommodations and services with the college’s Disability Service Provider • Sign “Release of Information” • Arrange for “Letter to Faculty” specifying accommodations • Check with Service Provider for support services

38. BOR Criteria for Documentation ofLearning Disabilities • Average or above intellectual ability • > 90 on standardized intelligence test • Significant discrepancy between ability and achievement • >1 standard deviation below measured intellectual ability in one or more, but not all, areas of academic achievement

39. BOR Criteria for Documentation ofLearning Disabilities • Processing deficit(s) associated with the area(s) of underachievement • Social-emotional factors assessed and ruled out as primary cause • Evaluation completed within 3 years of request for accommodations or as an adult

40. LD: Areas of Assessment See www.gsu.edu/rcld Suggested Assessment Measures 1. Measures of Cognitive Ability (One of these measures must be used.) • Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS III) • Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children III (WISC III) • Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence test (KAIT) • Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II) • Differential Abilities scales (DAS) • Stanford Binet IV (SB IV) • Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) • Woodcock-Johnson III – General Ability Index

41. LD: Areas of Assessment 2. Academic Achievement • Reading • Decoding, rate/fluency, and comprehension • Mathematics • Calculation, reasoning, and algebra • Written Language • Spelling, written expression

42. LD: Areas of Assessment 3. Cognitive Processing • Attention • Oral language (listening comprehension, oral expression) • Phonologic/Orthographic processing • Word Fluency/Rapid Naming • Memory/Learning (Working memory, long term memory, visual memory, auditory memory, short-term memory) • Executive Functions • Visual-Perceptual-Spatial-Motor skills

43. BOR Criteria for Documentation ofADHD • Childhood symptoms/developmental history • Current Symptoms meeting DSM-IV criteria • Clinically significant symptoms on standardized rating scales for both child and adult • Corroboration across settings • Clear evidence of interference and/or functional limitations • Rule out of other medical and psychiatric disorders • Documentation by qualified professional within 3 years or considered current

44. Guidelines for documentation of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) • Documentation of medical history • Date of cognitive assessment • Medical condition • Date of onset • Documentation of a DSM-IV diagnosis (e.g., Cognitive Disorder NOS) by a qualified psychologist, neuropsychologist, or neurologist • Documentation of resulting functional impairments – including nature, length, and severity • Documentation of resulting learning difficulties

45. Guidelines for documentation of Psychiatric Disabilities • Documentation within 3 years or considered current • A DSM-IV diagnosis by a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist • Documentation of resulting functional impairments – including nature, length, and severity • Documentation of resulting learning difficulties • Impact of medications

46. Accommodations • Must be determined on a case-by-case basis. • Must provide equal access, not provide an advantage or optimize performance. • Cannot require modification of core aspects of the course/curriculum. Note: student still must meet technical standards

47. Technical Standards • Relates to “Essential Functions” in Title I of ADA • What reasonable accommodations, if any, exist? • Are they essential?

48. Accessing Accommodations • Must be accessed through the Disability Service Provider • If a student has been evaluated at an RCLD, the written report will include a list of recommended accommodations that are consistent with University System policy. • The Office of Disability Services may review a student’s documentation and decide which accommodations are appropriate based on the institution’s policies. • Regents Centers for Learning Disorders offer expertise by reviewing and recommending appropriate accommodations.

49. BOR-level Accommodations(must be approved by an RCLD) • College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC) Foreign Language Substitution • A maximum of two extra semesters in Developmental Studies/Learning Support; not automatic - determined by school and student’s performance to date • Regents Exam Accommodations • e.g., Text to voice technology (Reading test) • e.g., Voice to text technology (Essay test)

50. Institution-level (“local”) Accommodations • The choice of accommodation must be based on the information provided in the documentation.Examples of accommodations that can be granted if specifically justified by documentation include: • Extended time on exams • A quiet place for taking tests • Reduced course load • Permission to audio record lectures/note taker • Use of a non-programmable calculator • Use of computer-based technologies for reading and/or writing • Alternate format textbooks and materials