This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:

Students with Disabilities: Legal Obligations and Opportunities --> The Accommodation Process

Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.

Many accommodations which are made affect people/students with disabilities and many others.  There are many accommodations which are easily implemented.  Being aware of who your students are and any disabilities they may have will aid in implementing these accommadations earlier rather than later.

To accommodate  students with cognitive or physical disabilities, faculty must involve  strategies that are accessible throughout their day to day schedule. The classroom environment and instructors must consider changes and accommodations to increase student participation and enhance learning. When teachers and students adapt effective instructional strategies, individual and groups of students gain the tools necessary to become successful learners. Here are some strategies you can use:

Colored highlighters to direct attention to key information.

Digital timer to help pace student while working. .  

Colored sticky notes to draw attention or clarify important information.

Large pencils and/or pencil grips/weighted pencils.

Adaptive equipment for posture: booster seats, arm rests, etc.

Computers with touch screen capabilities.

Provide large-print handouts of text.

The most effective way to support accomidation for students with disabilities is to discuss and strategize multiple methods for accomidation.  These stategies should fit each situation in a way that best supports the individiuals needs. There is no "one size fits all" and staff should stay open to the individual requests.

I agree there is no one size fits all and staff should be open to individual request, and the UDL on campuses is a great idea and should be used more often not just the impaired or handicap people, but all classes.

What can I/ we do?  How can I/ we help?  Helping people with disabilities is and should be a humanitarian act, to begin with.  Providing fair and just treatment and the same opportunity and access to those who are at a disadvantage physically and academically should be normal behavior for us all, however, sometimes a legal mandate is needed to spurn people into action.  So as educators we have to be mindful of this in our classrooms.  We (educators and administrators) have to make sure that we provide access for our disabled students to the accommodations that make a "level playing field" for them.

There are many ways that educational institution can provide adequate accommodations for student with disabilities and be in compliant with ADA laws. There are institutions who will go beyond the call of ADA laws and provide more than required support to students with disability without being supporting to success but rather making sure all students including those with disability have equal access to all resources to be successful.

Reply to Bethany Azad's post:I agree with you here Bethany and there is no 'One size fits all' when it comes to disability and we must be able to identify students with disability without asking unlawful questions and try to be supportive as much as possible beyond the call of duty (what laws require), this will not only motivate a student with disability but also the student will know that we care about his/her condition and will everything we can within our capabilitties.

While it may be easy to make a distinction between access and success in the classroom context, defining those terms becomes more difficult in the context of student affairs and campus participation. 

As a facilitator, one must always look at every case and provide equal access to the student. To do this, one may have to carefully review documents, make decisions, and keep "access vs. success" in mind. 

Providing accommodations must be to provide equal access.  One must be careful to not use the purpose of accommodations as means to promote success oppose to access.

I believe that educators should be more mindful when working with students with disabilties in higher education by making sure to take everything into account. For example, carefully reviewing documentations in the decision-making process. 

Having accommodations is very important for students and faculty with disabilties.     

Prior to reading this section, I had not been familiar with the concept of Universal Design, nor Universal Design Learning as it applies to educational institutions. I found it interesting that with proper UDL, this could potentially eliminate the need for possible individual accommodations. 

Educational institutions have some flexibility when it comes to the provision of documentation of a disability and what accommodations are needed by students. I previously was unaware of the concept of the Universal Design, but it makes a lot of sense.

This section reminded me to inquire about any necessary accommodations prior to holding a campus event.  Although students may not need access, their family members might. 

Universal Deisgn affects so many aspects of our lives that most of us don't even think about the conveniences it offers -- that street curb, that door handle, that lowered desk space, wide door frames, etc.  Taking the time to make every day tasks easier for those with physical and learning disabilities, as well as those without these issues, can make life much easier for everyone.  

I did not realize that offering different types of food in the cafeteria iepresent a form of Universal Design as well.  How practical!.  It makes sense to offer options.

I had never heard about Universal design as a concept even though I have seen universal designs around me and have even used them in the past. This was a very good onformation about helping our students.

The whole section on Over - Accommodation and Unfair Advantage was very informative. I think I fall in the area of over - Accommodation because I look at people with disabilities as less than rather than looking at them from a space of gifted. 

Accomondations only provide oppertunity to show what he/she knows