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Disability Resources Office Works with Faculty and Students

Peter Brusilovsky

Photo by Patty Nagle, CIDDE

According to the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, the number of students with disabilities entering postsecondary institutions is increasing. This trend is reflected at the University of Pittsburgh: the number of students registered and receiving services related to disabilities rose from 200 in 1994 to more than 800 in 2002. This growth is expected to continue, making it even more crucial for faculty to be aware of both the needs of the students with disabilities and the responsibilities of the University toward these students. The University of Pittsburgh has designated Disability Resources and Services (DRS), within the division of Student Affairs, as the unit responsible for handling the coordination of services for students with diagnosed disabilities.

Most of today’s students with disabilities are aware of their legal rights, as defined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. According to these laws, “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.” It is important for faculty to recognize that “qualified,” as it relates to a postsecondary student, means “a person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the educational program or activity with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies or practices.” A person with a disability is “any person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities [for example walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working], (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.” Examples of the disabilities covered by the legislation include (but are not limited to) AIDS, cerebral palsy, chronic systemic illness, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, psychiatric disorders, speech impairments, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairments, and birth defects.

Leveling the playing field
It is generally acknowledged that students must be provided “physical” access (e.g., the curb cut). However, complete access (including programmatic, informational, and attitudinal) is the civil right for students with all types of disabilities, not just physical disabilities. For many students, including those with hidden disabilities such as learning disabilities, psychiatric disorders, or brain injuries, equal access may be in the form of academic accommodations. Naturally, these accommodations or modifications require a balance between the institutions’s right to maintain academic and technical standards integral to its mission and the rights of students with disabilities to equal access. To help achieve this balance, DRS assists in determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations or modifications.

As a point of reassurance, an instructor will never be asked to alter the essential requirements of his/her course for a student with a disability. Furthermore, an instructor is not responsible for determining if a student is disabled or requires an accommodation. Actually, an instructor should not ask a student if he/she requires any type of accommodation until the student (1) has identified himself/herself as having a disability and (2) has provided the instructor with the appropriate “Notification of Disability” memorandum issued by DRS. If a student has a “Notification of Disability” memorandum, documentation is on file that verifies the existence of a disability and supports the accommodations recommended by DRS. Finally, a student with a disability is usually the best source of information regarding the disability. An instructor is encouraged to discuss a student’s disability, once disclosed, and how it may or may not affect the student’s learning or participation in a particular course.

Services
Currently, DRS offers a wide range of support services for students with disabilities as well as services to support faculty in the administrative aspects of ensuring a student receives accommodation. Students with documented disabilities may schedule weekly one-on-one meetings to identify potential barriers to success and to learn new strategies to reach academic goals. Generally covered topic areas include utilizing accommodations, disability counseling, self-advocacy, executive functioning skill enhancement, and specialized learning strategies.

Disability Resources and Services has an adaptive testing center where staff are available to proctor exams for students whose accommodation(s) prevent standard classroom administration. These may include extended time, limited auditory and visual distractions, tests recorded onto tape, scribes and/or the use of assistive technology. Typical practice is to extend the standard examination time by 50 percent. However, students with more severe or multiple disabilities may be granted additional time as determined by their documentation and the recommendation of the DRS specialist.
For students who do not have a diagnosed disability, but who are concerned about their ability to learn, DRS can conduct an initial screening for the possibility of a learning disability or attention deficit disorder. When appropriate, students are referred to community resources for a formal diagnostic evaluation, which is the financial responsibility of the students.

More detailed information on the services available at DRS is available at the Web site: www.drs.pitt.edu. Specific questions or concerns can be directed to Lynnett Van Slyke, DRS director: 412-648-7889 or vanslyke@pitt.edu. Staff members are always available to speak to departments on the subject of students with disabilities. Please call 412-648-7890 to arrange for a disability specialist to do a presentation at a department meeting.

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