Equal Opportunity & Diversity
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Understanding People with Disabilities
This information is intended to provide an overview of Case Western Reserve University's policies and services as related to members of the university community with disabilities. It is not meant to be a comprehensive explanation of the requirements of the American Disabilities Act of 1990.
Students with Disabilities in a Classroom
The university office of Educational Support Services (ESS) attempts to inform all incoming students of the availability of special services. Not all eligible students, however, choose to identify themselves; nor do all students with disabilities require special accommodations. Faculty often make adjustments in classroom procedures or in student evaluation with no assistance or intervention from ESS.
It is important to remember that all students have been selected for admission to the university based on academic potential and those students with disabilities have satisfied all criteria for matriculation. The university's responsibility then becomes to ensure that students will not be discriminated against and to make reasonable accommodations for allowing the students to participate in university programs and services.
The definition of "reasonable" is open to discussion, and faculty should not hesitate to consult with ESS about modifying classroom procedures or curricular expectations.
Always keep in mind that usual course requirements and/or evaluation methods may require some modification for the student with a disability. Though all students are expected to demonstrate their mastery of the subject through completion of assignments and examinations, methods of teaching and evaluating need to be fair and non-discriminatory.
- Contact Educational Support Services if you have any questions. ESS is prepared to assist with any arrangements necessary.
- Talk with the student as early as possible. Outline your method of teaching the course and try to work out solutions to any problems.
- Don't assume a problem exists, or that a certain arrangement will address a problem, without discussing it with the student. You might waste time and energy effecting a well-meaning but futile action.
- Be flexible and open. If one method isn't working, be willing to try something else.
- Do not try your hand at counseling related to the disability itself, unless you happen to be an expert in this area. Your student knows what will and will not help. He or she has adapted to life with a disabling condition and is successful enough to gain admission to Case.
- Be sensitive to the student's standing among his or her peers. How should other members of the class be made aware of the student's disability-if at all? Discuss this with the student.
Services for students with disabilities
The office of Educational Support Services is the center at the university for services for students with disabilities. The ESS staff is prepared to help any student with a documented disabling condition with reasonable accommodations that will enable the student to participate in the academic life of the university. ESS will also try to assist students with temporarily disabling conditions, such as fractures or illness.
The students with disabilities ESS most frequently serve fall into one of the following groups:
- Mobility impaired
- Hearing impaired
- Visually impaired
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- Learning disabled
- Mentally disabled
- Chronically ill
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Summarized below are some basic suggestions for accommodating students with special needs within your classroom or lab, as well as services offered by ESS.
Students with mobility impairments
ESS services
- Tutoring: Any undergraduate subject. Tutors have successfully completed the appropriate course work and have been approved by faculty.
- Accessibility arrangements: ESS will provide information about building and campus accessibility and work with the registrar to ensure that classes are accessible.
- Note taking assistance: ESS will identify note takers and assist with copying.
- Special testing arrangements: ESS will arrange for students to have oral testing, additional in-class time, or other appropriate accommodations.
Suggestions for faculty:
- Consider classroom accessibility. Should the class be relocated?
- If the student has difficulty taking notes, you might have copies of your lecture outlines made for the student.
- Give thought to structuring lab experiences for someone in a wheelchair. If the student's arm/hand mobility is limited, consider a "buddy system," with an assistant provided by ESS doing the active experience portion of the exercise.
- It may be necessary for tests to be taken in an alternative manner. Could they be taken orally? Could they be taken with a T.A. doing the writing under dictation from the student? Could the student take the test in the standard manner if given more time for writing and/or use of a typewriter? Should the test be administered and proctored in ESS?
- Remember that the student with a lower body mobility problem ONLY is just like any other student sitting down. Do not assume that there will be difficulties encountered.
Students with hearing impairments
ESS services
- TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf): A dedicated ESS phone line 216-368-3059.
- Tutoring: Any undergraduate subject. Tutors have successfully completed the appropriate course work and have en approved by faculty.
- Sign interpreters: ESS can assist with finding certified interpreters for classes.
- Note taking service: ESS can provide students with NCR note paper or assist with copying costs.
- Referrals: Cleveland Hearing and Speech center >>, located on Case's campus, can assist the hearing impaired with equipment, speech therapy, and community resources. The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation >> (BVR) will assist eligible students with the purchase of equipment and with sign interpreters.
Suggestions for faculty:
- The student should be seated near the front of the class so that he or she can get as much from hearing as possible and is in a position to get lip-reading cues.
- Don't talk with your back to the class (as when writing on the chalkboard). It destroys any chance of the student getting facial or lip-reading cues.
- If you are going to be showing slides or movies, provide an outline or summary of the materials to be covered. The student is going to be at a disadvantage in trying to process information from such presentations.
- When questions are asked from the class, remember to repeat the question before answering it.
- Be careful in giving procedural information while handing out papers, etc.
- Make sure such information is clearly understood by the student.
- The student may need a designated note taker. When you are "listening" with your eyes, it is difficult to take good notes simultaneously.
- If the student is depending upon a signing interpreter, you need to discuss with the student and the interpreter where it would be best for the interpreter to be located to provide the greatest benefit for the hearing impaired student without being distracting to the other class members.
- When a student uses an interpreter, direct all remarks to the student even though the student may be directing his or her attention to the interpreter.
Students with visual impairments
ESS Services
- Special testing arrangements: ESS will arrange for students to have oral testing, additional in-class time, or other appropriate accommodations.
- Books on tape: ESS can register students with Recordings for the Blind and for free taped recordings of textbooks. The Cleveland Society for the Blind will also record written materials.
- Braille assistance: The Cleveland Sight Center >>, Society for the Blind, which is within blocks of campus, will help students with Brailled materials.
- Referrals: the Cleveland Sight Center >> provides taping, Brailleing, mobility assistance, adaptive aids, large print books, radio reading of newspapers and magazines, and state-of-the-art computer equipment and expertise. The Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired >> helps eligible students with reader service, equipment, and some financial support.
- Tutoring: Tutors can assist with course work and library research.
Suggestions for faculty:
- Your cooperation in allowing tape recording of lectures will be greatly appreciated.
- Preferential seating is important. Since visual cues may not be available, you may want to make sure the student is getting all the auditory cues possible. If the student is using a guide dog, it would help for the student to have an assigned seat so that the dog can aid the student in getting there.
- Give the student plenty of notice in the event that research papers are to be assigned-someone may have to aid in that literature search, both in finding materials and in translating them. You may want to extend deadlines for this student.
- When using the chalkboard, lessen the glare as much as possible and write in big letters.
- It may be necessary to make accommodations for test taking for this student it the student needs a reader, a scribe, access to special equipment, etc.
- If a student is visually impaired, dittoed materials are difficult to read. Photocopying the ditto before it is run provides a clearer black-on-white copy for the student to work from.
- Important information should be emphasized verbally, not just on the chalkboard.
Students with learning disabilities
ESS Services
- Tutoring: Peer tutors are available in all undergraduate subjects.
- Special arrangements: ESS will arrange for students to have alternative testing.
- Books on tape: LD students are eligible for books on tape through Recordings for the Blind, and ESS can initiate registration for this service which is able to provide textbooks as well as any book in the Library of Congress.
- Individualized academic counseling: ESS staff members can help students with time management, study skills, social adjustment, and academic course load.
- Electronic Learning Center: The ESS center has reading improvement software, word processing, and all network applications.
Suggestions for faculty:
- Give extra time for long reading assignments for the student with a reading disability.
- Don't be afraid to discuss with the student individually what his or her limitations are, what situations are difficult, and what accommodations would be helpful.
- This student may need accommodations in test taking (extended time, a scribe, a reader, etc.).
- Your cooperation in allowing tape recording of lectures is appreciated.
- Do not ask students with reading disabilities to read aloud in class.
- Allowing the use of a word processor for writing assignments and/or tests may give the student a chance to better show his or her command of the information without getting bogged down in format details.
- Write vocabulary unique to a particular course on the board during a lecture.
Students with mental disabilities
ESS and University Counseling Services will assist with appropriate accommodations. University Counseling Services provides short-term counseling, referrals, and access to community resources. For additional assistance or information on this subject, please contact the:
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