Career and Transfer Center

Faculty Resources for Teaching Students with Disabilities

This resource has been created to assist and support faculty and administrators who have students with disabilities in their courses. The information below is true for most students, but as in all things, there are exceptions.

A disability may or may not affect the participation of a student in your class. In College, students are the best source of information regarding their special needs. Your students are responsible for explaining their needs and requesting accommodations. However, you will receive an accommodation memo from the office of Carl Monroe, Equal Access Counselor in the Career and Transfer Center. By law, we are not allowed to disclose the type of disability a student may have. We are only allowed to reveal the accommodations he/she is entitled to.

Each student with a disability has unique needs. Having these needs met can mean the difference between succeeding and failing. Making your students feel welcome will help them approach you about their need for special accommodations. Also including in your course syllabus an invitation to meet with you to discuss what you both will need and can expect from each other for the semester would be helpful.

Instructors’ and Students’ Rights and Responsibilities

Instructors and students both have 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.

Why Accommodate and the Legal Issues?

Students with disabilities are entitled to a college education and can only achieve this by having equal access to it. Some people ask, “Why should a student with a disability/disabilities get special treatment?” First of all, in order for a student with a disability/disabilities to succeed, he/she needs to have the same learning opportunities available to them as the students without. In other words, we must “level the playing field.” The second reason is because it’s the law.

Legal Issues

In 1990 the “Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990” and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 passed a law prohibiting discrimination against anyone with disabilities.

What is the law?

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the civil rights guarantee for persons with disabilities in the United States. It provides protection from discrimination for individuals on the basis of disability. For more information about the ADA Law go to: http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/statutes/ofccpa/ada.htm.

Types of Disabilities and Examples of Accommodations

Learning Disabilities are documented disabilities that may affect your student’s remembering, reading, calculating, processing information, and/or spatial abilities. Other disabilities may also be present such as sensory and mobility impairments.

Students may not have trouble communicating his/her thoughts verbally one on one. However, this same student may not be able to communicate these same thoughts in writing or in a noisy classroom. Other students may take longer processing reading and written assignments and tests because the words, letters, and/or numbers become backwards or mixed up. Students with learning disabilities tend to have problems with prioritizing tasks, organization, paying attention and time management.

Students with specific learning disabilities usually have average to above average intelligence but may have difficulties acquiring and demonstrating knowledge and understanding. Because of the student’s disability, he/she generally has significant discrepancies in what he/she has achieved compared to what he/she is capable of achieving.

Each student with a Learning Disability/Disabilities has unique needs. Having these needs met can mean the difference between succeeding and failing.

Learning Disabilities

Dysgraphia

physical difficulty with printing or writing letters and words with writing tools. This disability affects the notes a student takes in class because he/she most likely will not be able to keep up and will have a hard time reading what was written.

Dyscalculia

difficulty using math concepts, symbols and understanding them.

Dyslexia

mixing up letters, numbers, words and difficulty spelling. Some students have trouble with navigating and route finding tasks because he/she is easily confused by directions and spatial information such as left and right.

Dyspraxia

mix up of words and sentences while talking. Inconsistency between language comprehension and language production.

Non-Verbal Learning Disorder

possible lack of social skills, poor motor coordination and visual–spatial organization.

Examples of accommodations for students with Learning Disabilities

An individual student may need one, some or all of these accommodations.

• Audiotapes or videotaped class sessions
• A quiet testing location and or extended test time
• Visual, auditory, and hands-on demonstrations integrated into teaching
• Concise course and lecture outlines
• Books on tape
• Alternative evaluation methods (e.g., portfolio, oral or video presentations).
• Detailed instructions on audiotapes or in print
• Directions reinforced verbally
• Large amounts of information or instructions broken down into smaller segments

Students with disabilities can use computers to assist them.

Examples of computer accommodations

• Software to enlarge screen images
• Word processing software that includes: electronic spelling and grammar checkers, software with highlighting capabilities, and word prediction software
• Software that highlights and reads the text on the computer screen.

Examples of specific accommodations for students with disabilities in classes such as Math and Science

• Large display screens for calculators and adding machines
• (CAD) Computer Assisted Design software for engineering
• (CAI) Computer Assisted Instruction software for math
• Calculator that talks
• Scratch paper to work out math problem
• Decimal, fractional and statistical calculators

Mobility Impairments

Mobility Impairments may make standing, sitting, walking, bending, reaching, carrying, or using hands, arms, or fingers difficult or impossible. This impairment can result from amputation, scoliosis, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy. Some impairments can also be due to an injury, surgical process, or a broken bone such as a leg, finger, or arm.

Examples of accommodations for students with mobility impairments

• Computer equipped with specialized programs
• Note taker, scribes
• Recording the class session
• Adjustable tables
• Extra time for tests or a different location
• Access to restrooms, wheelchair ramps, curb cuts, handicapped parking spaces, and elevators.

Proper etiquette when speaking or working with a student in a wheelchair:

• Move back or sit down to create a more comfortable angle for conversation.
• If the student is in his/her wheelchair the wheelchair is their personal space so don’t hold it or lean on it.

ADHD and ADD

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD is a disorder that causes a student to be easily distracted, fidgety, inattentive, has problems organizing tasks and staying on task, does not seem to listen to others, loses things, has problems following through on instructions, fails to finish homework, doodles, moves hand and/ or feet, forgets, talks out of turn and interrupts others.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

ADD is a disorder that causes a student to have difficulty paying attention, staying on task, or following through on class work. ADD also can cause restlessness, speaking out of turn and not finishing one thing before starting another.

Examples of accommodation for students with ADD and ADHD

• More time for testing
• Change of test location
• Private room for testing
• Note taker
• Tape recorder
• Able to move around or briefly leave the classroom
• Copies of overheads
• Do not call on student in class (unless you and the student have an agreement)

Autism & Asperger Syndrome

Autism

Autism is a disorder that causes students to think visually, or in pictures. Language is not there first language; pictures are their fist language. A student with Autism may have trouble remembering sequences, have terrible handwriting, make loud sounds, be restless, not be able to look at something and hear about it at the same time. Many students with Autism have problems using a mouse.

Asperger Syndrome

Asperger Syndrome is a milder form of Autism. Asperger’s is a disability that affects the way a student communicates and relates to others. A student may appear socially awkward and seem to lack understanding of social customs. He/she may have difficulties with rules of conversation such as: he/she may interrupt or talk over others or have problems with facial expressions and gestures. Some students may not understand personal space so he/she may get too close. The student does not like changes and may prefer to work alone instead of on group projects.

Examples of accommodation for students with Autism and Asperger’s

• More time for testing
• Change of test location
• Private room for testing
• Note taker
• Tape recorder
• Able to move around or briefly leave the classroom
• Copies of overheads
• Books on tape
• Do not call on student in class (unless you and the student have an agreement)

Health Impairments

Health Impairments have an effect on every day living and may involve the immune systems, intestines, heart, kidneys, lungs, liver and muscles. Some of the common diagnoses include:

• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Asthma
• AIDS
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes

Although these impairments most likely do not directly affect learning the medication that a student is on may cause the following problems:

• Lack of attention
• Poor memory
• Low energy, and endurance levels
• Weakness

Examples of Accommodations for students with Health Impairments

• Extra time for test
• Note taker
• Tape recorder

Emotional Impairments

Emotional Impairments include psychological and psychiatric disorders that affect a student’s life. There is a wide range of emotional impairments starting from mild depression to manic depression, bipolar, unpolar, and schizophrenia. Because these disabilities are not visible it complicates making accommodations for students.

Stress and medication are two of the things that can affect this disability. Here are some of the ways stress and medication can affect an emotionally impaired student:

• The way a student receives information
• The recalling of information
• The processing of information
• Unable to pay attention in class
• Memory problems

Examples of accommodations for student with Emotional Impairments

• Note taker
• Tape recorder
• Tutoring
• Extra time on tests
• Quiet place for tests

Hearing Impairments

Hearing Impairments, depending on the extent of the disability, make it hard, if not impossible, for a student to listen to lectures, participate in classroom discussions or access multimedia materials. There are two different terms for the hearing impaired, ‘Hard of Hearing’ and ‘Deaf.’ Here is an explanation of the differences.

Hard of Hearing

Hard of Hearing means a student may have a limited range of sounds. He/she may wear hearing aids and lip read, and use sign language. A student that is hard of hearing may have a speech impediment because he/she is unable to hear himself/herself talk.

Deafness

Deafness means a student may have little to no range of sound. This student may have little or no verbal skills depending on the age at which hearing was lost. A deaf student will not benefit from a hearing aid or any other listening devises. He/she mainly depends on sign language interpreters and lip reading.

Examples of accommodations for Hard of Hearing and Deaf Students

• Note takers
• Assistive Listening Devices
• Interpreters
• Real time captioning

Vision Impairments

Blindness

Blindness is a disability in which a student is unable to read normal printed text or enlarged printed text.

Examples of accommodations for students with blindness

• Books on Tape
• Adaptive Computer software
• Reader
• Braille text

Low Vision

Low Vision is when a student has some vision but cannot read standard-size text.

Examples of accommodations for students with low vision

• Enlarged printed text
• Books on tape
• Reader
• Adaptive Computer software
• Sitting in the front of a class room

Just Remember

Each student with a disability has unique characteristics and therefore has unique needs. Having these needs met can mean the difference between succeeding and failing.

If any disability/disabilities are not listed and you want more information, please feel free to contact Carl Monroe in the Career and Transfer Center at (734) 462-4400 ext. 5724, or by sending an email to cmonroe@schoolcraft.edu. Or you may contact Denise Schell, 734-462-4400 ext. 5473, dschell@schoolcraft.edu.