Office of Disability Resources
Providing Reasonable Accommodationsfor Students with Disabilities
Sarah E. Howard
Primary Goal
Provide reasonable accommodations tostudents with documented disabilitiesin an effective and efficient manner,and to assist students with disabilitiesin building self-advocacy skills
Definition of Disability
As defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008
“With respect to an individual, a physical ormental impairment that substantially limits one ormore major life activities of such individual; arecord of such an impairment or being regardedas having such an impairment…”
Definition of Impairment
Major life activities include, but are not limited to,caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing,hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting,bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading,concentrating, thinking, communicating and working
Definition of Impairment(continued)
… also includes the operation of a major bodilyfunction, including but not limited to, functions ofthe immune system, normal cell growth, digestive,bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory,circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions
What is a ReasonableAccommodation?
An academic adjustment that or auxiliary aidwhich does not cause a fundamentalalteration in the nature or core function ofthe program or impose an undue financial oradministrative burden to the institution
Accommodations Provided
Classroom
•Note taking assistance
•Use of laptop
•Recordings of lectures and discussions
•Interpreters
•Textbooks and course materials in alternative forms
•Preferential seating
•Use of assistive technology
Accommodations Provided(continued)
Testing
•Extended time
•Distraction-limited environment
•Scribes
•Use of calculator
•Use of assistive technology
If Reasonable Accommodationsare not Provided
•You could be breaking the law
•Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act is afederal law designed to protect the rights ofindividuals with disabilities in programs andactivities that receive federal financialassistance from the U.S. Department ofEducation
If Reasonable Accommodationsare not Provided(continued)
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) enforces Section 504 inprograms and activities that receive federal financialassistance from the Department of Education
Reasonable Accommodations
Providing reasonable accommodations is not just theresponsibility of the Office of Disability Resources (ODR)
It’s a Partnership
It’s Everybody’s Responsibility
Everyone has a Role to Play
Reasonable Accommodations(continued)
Provide equal access to learning withoutlowering academic standards, changing thefundamental purpose of the program, loweringthe expectations from students
Questions?