The University of Texas at El Paso ADA Presentation for Advisors, College of Liberal Arts September 16, 2016 Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) Neelam Agarwal, Ed.D.; Assistant Director Corene M. Seymour: Administrative Assistant www.sa.utep.edu/cass; 747-5148; Union East, Rm 106
Presentation Outline Overview: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Federal Definitions of Disability Overview; The Center for Accommodations and Support Services ADA Impact Campus-Wide Commonly Reported Disabilities at UTEP Hidden Disabilities Accommodations Advising Opportunities Closure FOR MORE INFORMATION Email: cass@utep.edu Phone: (915) 747-5148 Website: www.sa.utep.edu/cass
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Key Statements Overview: No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/ her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of a public entity. Content: The ADA consists of Titles I through V addressing discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, public services, public accommodations, transportation and communication. Title II addresses UTEP s obligations as a state institution.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 UTEP s role as a State Institution As a public entity, UTEP has an obligation under the ADA to accommodate people with disabilities in employment and education, but also in facilities and events. UTEP is also engaged in a process of making the University a place where everyone has equal access through its use of Universal Design (UD) in the physical environment, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), in the classroom and through electronic access. Accessibility is a basic standard that provides access for everyone in both the physical and virtual environments.
Federal Definition of Disability The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA): A person who has any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity (walking, standing, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, or taking care of one s self), has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.
Overview: The Center for Accommodation and Support Services (CASS) Staff are asked to: Determine a student s eligibility for services Develop individualized accommodations Receive the disability documentation (acceptable within three years) Develop Letters of Accommodation (LOAs) CASS currently has 900+ registered students
ADA Impact Campus-Wide Response to the ADA is not limited to the classroom. It also includes: Internships, practicums and clinical rotations. Campus housing and student recreation. Employment, Study Abroad and field trips. All activities in student organizations. Extracurricular films, plays, concerts and sports.
Commonly Reported Disabilities by Students at UTEP Attention Deficit Disorder Blindness and low vision Chronic health impairments Deafness and hearing loss Developmental disabilities Autism Spectrum Disorder Head injuries TBI Learning disabilities Mobility Impairments Psychological disabilities Speech/Language disorder Temporary disabilities
Words People use to Describe Disability- Not all are appropriate
What are Hidden Disabilities? A hidden disability is: Any disability that can t be easily seen. Students with hidden or invisible disabilities are continuing to increase at postsecondary institutions. The same principle of equal access applies to accommodations for students with invisible disabilities as well as students with visible disabilities. Specific examples include Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); mental health & medical conditions; learning disabilities, limited hearing, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, epilepsy, cancer, arthritis, AIDS and asthma. FOR MORE INFORMATION Email: cass@utep.edu Phone: (915) 747-5148 Website: www.sa.utep.edu/cass
All students: Students with Disabilities: Guidelines and Accommodations Are expected to meet the academic requirements of every course or degree plan. Are entitled to equal access and an equal opportunity. Are encouraged to participate, freely and actively, in all aspects of campus life. ADA Accommodations provided for a student: Are not an advantage, the student must still complete the academic requirements. Are provided on a case-by-case basis and are tailored to individual need. Are not a guarantee of a certain grade or of success in a particular class. Are expected to help the student fulfill all academic and course requirements and evaluation standards, as stated in the course syllabus. Are not provided retroactively.
Advising Proactively Think in terms of capability rather than disability Invite a student to self-disclose their disability by: Posting a sign in your office stating, Students with documented disabilities may be eligible for academic accommodations. Ask students Is there is anything I need to know to help you be more successful in college. Refer the student to the CASS disability statement in the course syllabus. Ask the students what their accommodations are if they are registered with CASS. This information can help in selecting courses and preparing a course schedule.
Course Syllabus: CASS Statement Some students may share that they are registered with CASS. Others might disclose that they had academic support in high school, but thought they could figure out college on their own. To encourage all students to seek the benefit of accommodations a syllabus statement is needed. The following is an example of a statement that should be included in every course syllabus: If you have a disability and need course accommodations, please contact the Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS) at 747-5148, or by email at cass@utep.edu. For additional information, please visit the CASS website at www.sa.utep.edu/cass.
Priority Registration Students with certain disability-related needs may qualify for Priority Registration. The purpose of Priority Registration is to ensure students with disabilities have equal access to all academic courses. Priority registration allows a student to register for classes on the first day of registration each semester. This provides the opportunity to arrange a schedule (to the greatest extent possible) that is suitable based on their disability-related needs. Examples of students who may qualify for priority registration include: Students with mobility disabilities or those who work with personal attendants, and those who use American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters.
Advising Recommendations Encourage students to: Talk with their professors and the staff in CASS to ensure accommodations are provided. It is vital to their success. Develop strong (and appropriate) self-advocacy skills. In addition: Follow up all meetings with a student by email, summarizing your discussion and all points of your meeting. Student disability records are confidential so avoid discussing the student s issues anywhere other than in private. Letters of Accommodation are confidential as per FERPA and can be released only on a need-to-know basis.
Academic Advising: ADA Considerations Health issues: Should they be taken into consideration? Possible attendance issues? Are 7:30 a.m. classes feasible? May need to schedule later in day, when possible. Course selection: Give careful consideration to the choices. Identify courses that they need or will enjoy. Consider aspects of course instruction that use Universal Design for Learning, especially for students that are blind or deaf. Classroom selection: If mobility is a problem, ensure that each classroom is ADA accessible as is listed on the course in Banner/Goldmine. Time management: Consider that time management skills may be difficult for some students (Autism Spectrum Disorder). They like routine. They don t like making any last minute changes in the syllabus. Financial aid: Discuss any special requirements of their funding sources (e.g. PELL grant, DARS Tuition waivers, Hazelwood Act for Veterans, etc.)
Course Substitutions Students with disabilities may be eligible for a course substitution if the course is deemed by faculty to be a nonessential part of the overall curriculum in the student s major, and is justified by their disability documentation. Courses considered essential are not eligible for substitution. Examples: Math and foreign language courses. Failing a required course can lead to a student needing to change their major.
Reduced Course Load This usually means that the student can be considered full-time by taking as few as six credit hours per semester. For eligibility, students should first check with their financial aid for restrictions (Pell grants, Work Study, Hazelwood Act). Some students may never be able to hold a full course load, but can still complete all requirements of their degree plan.
Course Withdrawal The instructor may withdraw a student from the class if the absences exceed that which is stated in the syllabus. if during a semester, absences get to the point beyond what is educationally practical, it may be necessary for the student to request a complete medical withdrawal. Administrative withdrawal may have financial aid consequences for the student.
Disability and Online Courses Students with some disabilities, especially invisible disabilities, may be less likely to self-disclose their disability, due to the impersonal nature of the online environment. As a result, these students may be less likely to receive needed accommodations for an online course. Some students (e.g. those with ADD/TBI/PTSD/Veteran) may not be suited for the online learning environment. Online courses can be done at home, or in other areas of personal convenience. Please note, all film and video is required to be captioned whether online or inclass. A deaf student, among others is denied an education when it is not.
Online Courses: Issues Faced by Students with Disabilities Online conversations: Due to the speed of reply required, synchronous discussions do not fairly assess the knowledge or skills of students with disabilities. Accessibility of media: Graphics or visual media may not be accessible for students who are blind or have limited vision, whereas text-heavy environments are challenging for students with reading disabilities and other types of learning disability or attention deficit disorder. Accessibility of reading material: Word documents are accessible, but.pdf documents are not. These documents can be made accessible by converting it to Optical Character Recognition (OCR), through the use of Adobe Acrobat Pro, or use of many department scanners.
Service and Assistance Animals As per the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAA), a Service Animal (a trained dog or miniature horse) can go everywhere their owner goes. As per the ADAA, only two verification questions can be asked: Is this a service animal required for a disability? What tasks is the animal trained to perform? As per the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 Assistance Animals are emotional support, therapy, and comfort animals of any species. They are not service animals, but are to be accommodated in student housing when documentation is provided by an appropriate treatment provider, based on an emotional bond with the owner. These animals do not have rights to travel elsewhere on campus.
Data: Why is this important? It is estimated that: As of 2012, 11% of all university student s in the U.S. have a disability as defined by the ADA. It was 6% in 1999. 18% of the population has a disability as per the U.S. Census Bureau, (2012). In the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, the United Nations has stated that people with disabilities are the world s largest minority population, (2006).
Report: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights Protecting Civil Rights, Advancing Equity FY 2013-2014
ADA Settlement: Complaint Against Mesa Community College Phoenix, Arizona (May 22, 2012): The National Federation of the Blind,, and (Mr.) Ibanez, a student who recently graduated from Mesa Community College, have filed suit against the college, alleging discrimination against Mr. Ibanez and other students that are blind. The complaint alleges that Mr. Ibanez, as a student that is blind, could not register for his classes, complete online courses and assignments, access student services, or actively participate in his classes because of inaccessible technology purchased or deployed by Mesa Community College. Among other things, web sites and software applications used for coursework and student services do not work with text-to-speech screen reading software, and clickers that are used to respond to questions in class cannot be operated independently by students that are blind. Mr. Ibanez was deliberately excluded from a class solely on the basis of his blindness. He attended the class but was told by the instructor that she did not feel comfortable teaching a student that is blind, and was subsequently electronically dropped from the class without his knowledge or consent.
Resources: UTEP and Southwest ADA Center For faculty & staff: Technical assistance on Blackboard, video and course software. Cyndi Castro, Manager, Teaching & Learning Lab, Academic Technologies, Suite 318 UGLC, TLL@utep.edu, 747-5940. http://at.utep.edu/tll. For students: Training on the use of assistive hardware and software. Rich Dugan, Electronic Information Resource Coordinator, Assistive Technology Lab, Technology Support Center, Library Suite 300, rdugan@utep.edu, 747-7416. Website: http://admin.utep.edu/default.aspx?tabid=74180 For general information on the ADA and student accommodations: The Center for Accommodations and Support Services (CASS), Union East, Room 106, cass@utep.edu, 747-5148. Website: http://www.sa.utep.edu/cass.