Disabilities in Higher Education by Talithah Abbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k by Tali Abbe, Angelo State University en-us 2020-11-17 02:26:55 UTC 2020-11-21 04:26:14 UTC hello@padlet.com Slide #1 Professional Perspective tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930094139 Disabilities in Higher Education 
During my time at Oregon State University, I became friends with Joe. I saw the difficulties  he had maneuvering his wheelchair around tight corners and how no one would ask him to be in their group. I did not see his chair. I saw a bright, smart guy who did more than his share of group work and did it before it was due. My field of education is focused on higher education. The audience for this Padlet would be other higher institution educators who have face to face contact with students. This topic is important to me because some disabilities cannot be seen. Educators should not assume that just because we do not see a wheelchair, a white cane, or hearing ads that someone is disabled. Also, just because someone classifies themselves as "disabled" does not mean they cannot do something.  We should not assume we cannot have a walking meeting because "Jordan" is blind and cannot join us. There are different degrees of disability. It is better to ask what they are comfortable with than assuming. ]]> 2020-11-17 03:54:16 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930094139 Slide #2 Summary of Topic tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930097063 The topic I chose was Disabilities in Higher Education. People with disabilities are included in the protected class (race, color, national origin, religion, sex, and age) according to federal law. However, most institutions are so focused on the main classes that people with disabilities do not get the assistance they need from higher institutions. Fattor (2020) states, "there are over 2.4 million postsecondary students nationally with a disability attending college in this country" (para. 2). Disabilities can be seen (like service animal) to invisible (like dyslexia (learning disability)). Educators at higher institutions need to be proactive regarding this student population, not reactive. With the aid of technology, students can research schools in greater detail than every before. Higher institutions cannot afford to skip this size of the student population by not being proactive and make their schools less attractive to prospective students.
Fattor, H. (2020). College for students with disabilities: Choosing the right school. AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org. https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/best-accredited-colleges-schools-for-students-with-disabilities/. 


]]> 2020-11-17 03:56:10 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930097063 Slide #3 National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930097609 NCCSD. (2015). National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD). NCCSD. http://www.nccsdonline.org/. 
DREAM (Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring) is a student-led organization that connects and supports students to become leaders and activists of change on their college campuses.

]]> 2020-11-17 03:56:32 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930097609 Slide #4 50 Colleges hit with ADA lawsuits tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930098055 McKenzie, L. (2018). Fifty colleges sued in barrage of ADA lawsuits over web accessibility. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/12/10/fifty-colleges-sued-barrage-ada-lawsuits-over-web-accessibility. 
Jason Camacho sued 50 colleges because their websites were not accessible to people with disabilities. Mr. Camacho is blind and uses a screen reader. There were two sides to this story. On one side, Mr. Camacho is excused of a "drive-by" ligation, meaning more interested in settlements than improving accessibility. The other side states the number of colleges in the lawsuit is beside the point. It shows the larger picture of higher institutions are not as inclusive as they should be. 
]]> 2020-11-17 03:56:48 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930098055 Slide #5 Disability as Diversity tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930098674 Burke, L. (2020). Disability as diversity. Could disability be further included in diversity efforts? https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/11/12/could-disability-be-further-included-diversity-efforts. 
Ms. Burke contends that people with disabilities need to be a separate entity, similar to people of color, LGBTQ, or women. Also, she states most colleges and universities are very selective inclusive since they do not consider people with disabilities to be a part of the underrepresented students. Disabilities in higher education are generally related to what accommodations a student might need, but not what other barriers they may face, like a Braille menu in dining halls.

]]> 2020-11-17 03:57:13 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930098674 Slide #6 ADA Standards for Accessible Design - 2010 tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930099177 Federal Law
Administrative Law
28 CFR §35.149 - 164
* This law is important because if people cannot get into the buildings where the event is, they cannot participate in the event. This law ensures buildings are accessible to everyone. 
Title 28—Judicial  Administration Chapter I—Department of Justice Part 35 -- Nondiscrimination On The  Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services Subpart D - Program Accessibility
 * §§ 35.149 Discrimination is prohibited
* §§ 35.150 Existing facilities - public buildings should be readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities (has 3 exceptions) 
* §§ 35.151 New Construction and alterations
Subpart E - Communications §§ 35.160 - 35.164. 
* Public entities shall take appropriate steps to communicate with members of the public with disabilities as effective as people without disabilities
]]> 2020-11-17 03:57:34 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930099177 Slide #7 Guckenberger v. Boston University tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930099862 Federal Law
Constitutional Law
Guckenberger v. Boston University, 974 F. Supp. 106 (D. Mass. 1997)
* A class-action lawsuit was brought by students with learning disabilities against Boston University (BU) alleging discrimination in three ways: (1) establishing unreasonable eligibility requirements for qualifying as a student with disabilities, (2) failing to provide reasonable procedures for a student's request for accommodations, and (3) no longer allowing course substitutions for math and foreign languages. The court determined the eligibility requirements were unreasonable (students had to be retested every three years to qualify, policies changed since the start of the lawsuit, a waiver can be obtained), BU allowed non-medical evaluators to document students' learning disabilities. 
* This case is important because the Learning Disability Support Services (LDSS) and the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) made course substitutions without the approval of the school's President, Provost, or anyone from the central administration. It was made worse when President John Westling discontinued allowing the course substitutions without any department input, without convening input from committees or panels, and without speaking to experts on learning disabilities. The LDSS ignored the President's directives and issues more course substitutions during the 1995-1996 academic year. End of the story, many people resigned. Students and parents were left with questions regarding what each side was saying and who had more power in this case. Since then, BU has been reorganized and restructured.]]> 2020-11-17 03:57:55 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930099862 Slide #8 Discrimination in Education Prohibited tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930100442 Oregon state law
Statutory Law
Or. Trade Practices, Labor, and Employment § 659.850
Schools cannot discriminate (any act that includes different treatment), intended or unintended, based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, age, or disability. ]]> 2020-11-17 03:58:16 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930100442 Slide #9 Settlement Agreement between United States of America and EdX Inc. under the Americans with Disabilities Act DJ No. 202-36-255 tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930100865 DJ No. 202-36-255
Federal Law
Judicial Law
* EdX owns and operates mobile applications and a Platform on electronic devices that allows students to take and participate in online courses. The United States determined EdX's products were not accessible for students with disabilities, such as being blind or low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, and disabilities affecting manual dexterity. EdX denies any violation of Title III of the ADA. As part of the settlement, EdX agreed to increase the accessibility of new and existing courses. ]]> 2020-11-17 03:58:33 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930100865 Slide #10 Local Administrative Law / Policy / Rule tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930101304 Oregon State University - Disability Access Services
Oregon State University. (2015). Student rights and responsibilities. https://ds.oregonstate.edu/student-rights-and-responsibilities. 
Disability Access Services (DAS) is for students with disabilities to apply and request accommodations for their courses each term. The website explains what the rights and responsibilities are for students with disabilities.

]]> 2020-11-17 03:58:50 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930101304 Slide #11 Ethical Principle tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930102256 Social Justice and Inclusion (SJI)
ACPA, & NASPA. (n.d.) Professional competency areas for student affairs educators. NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf. 
This competency area's description is to create learning environments that include equitable participation of everyone. Student affairs professionals will incorporate every student's needs and distribute resources, raise social consciousness, and repair past and current harms on campus communities (p. 12).

]]> 2020-11-17 03:59:27 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930102256 Slide #12 Non-Law Source tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930102649 Disability in Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach
Evans, N.J., Briodo, E.M., Brown, K.R., & Wilke, A.K. (2017). Disability in Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach. Jossey-Bass.
The first sentence of the Preface says it all, "A social justice approach to disability in higher education means beginning with the assumption that people's abilities and rights to contribute to and benefit from higher education are not dependent on their bodies or psyches conforming to dominant norms" (p. xiii). Among other topics, this book discusses Disability, Law, and Education in the United States (chapter 3), Dimensions of Impairment and Disability (chapter 4), Faculty and Staff with Disabilities (chapter 7), and The Campus Climate (chapter 9). Each chapter also has a list of discussion questions at the end. ]]> 2020-11-17 03:59:44 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930102649 Slide #13 List of Recommendations tabbe https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930103150
  • Disabilities can be visible (like a wheelchair or white cane) or non-visible (like agoraphobia (a type of anxiety disorder that makes a person fear and avoid places or situations that might cause panic, feel trapped, helpless, or embarrassed)). Do not assume you know what type of disability the person has. 
  • Walk a mile in someone's else shoes: walk with your eyes covered (simulate blindness). Are things (menus, classroom numbers) in braille? Walk around your campus with earplugs. Is there closed captioning on electronic devices?
  • Is the information you are handing out available in different formats (if teaching a class with an audio file, is there a transcript available?
  •  A person with disabilities does not have to inform the higher institution; it is completely voluntary. Ask your higher institution's disability access department how many people they are currently assisting. The number is probably low. Send a survey to the students asking for anonymous responses to help educators to know what needs are not being met for the students that may have disabilities, but not disclosed. 
  • Do students know where the higher institution's disability access office is on campus? How well is it marketed?
  • Is the higher institution's website accessible for people who are blind? Do the videos on the website have transcripts or closed captioning?
  • Does your higher institution have training for faculty and staff to help support students with disabilities? How often is the training done?
  • Implement a peer mentoring program to match the incoming student with disabilities with a current student with the same disability (if possible). 
    • ]]>     2020-11-17 04:00:04 UTC https://padlet.com/tabbe/rytcawp7iz6mfr2k/wish/930103150