AccessSTEM

Many publishers can now provide students with disabilities with an electronic format of their textbooks. The following resource can assist you in finding publisher contact information. The list is an exhaustive list of all publishers, but rather a good place to start your search.

• AccessText allows postsecondary members to request files and permissions from leading publishers with one simple form. All post-secondary institutions in the United States and Canada are eligible to join at no cost.

Whether or not to disclose a disability prior to a job offer is the subject of much debate. The applicant must consider both the necessity of the disclosure and the likely impact on the employer's attitude. The decision is the individual's to make.

ENTRY POINT!, directed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is a summer internship program for college students with disabilities. This competitive program places students in internships at NASA, IBM, the National Science Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, the National Institutes of Health, and Texas Instruments. To qualify for an ENTRY POINT!

The role of a tutor is typically to help students understand single problems or concepts that have been presented in class. Students need to come prepared to ask specific questions about the material. Writing tutors assist students with the writing process, but they usually do not write or type papers for students. If writing and typing papers is the responsibility of individual students, this rule should apply to students with disabilities as well.

The job of a "driver" is typically to provide transportation. Students with disabilities who are unable to open doors or carry books and backpacks should use the services of a Personal Care Attendant, also called a Personal Care Assistant (PCA). When a PCA is needed, students can often work with Vocational Rehabilitation State Offices to obtain this accommodation.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states:

No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States…shall, solely by reason of…disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

While there are no specific time lines, some professionals recommend that students be re-evaluated at least every three years or whenever there is going to be a "significant change in placement." The campus 504 committee should reconsider the student's plan every year to make sure that his or her accommodation plan is appropriate, based on their current schedule and individual student needs. The accommodation plan may be revised during the school year if needed.

All U.S. states have Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR or VR) offices, which offer services intended to help some people with disabilities gain the skills and qualifications to enter or reenter the workforce. Anthony R. Candela, who is with California's Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, elaborates on how students can benefit from vocational rehabilitation (VR) services:

Designing an accessible website is not difficult when accessibility is considered along with other design issues at the beginning of a project. To create resources that can be used by the widest spectrum of potential website visitors rather than an "average" person, webmasters can apply "universal design" principles. Designers should routinely think of the broad range of characteristics their site visitors might have and design their resources so that they are accessible to everyone.

Individuals with cognitive disabilities can benefit from the use of technology in a variety of settings. For example, a student with a cognitive impairment can utilize computer programs designed to teach and reinforce not only subjects such as math and reading but also social and basic life skills. There are also a wide variety of products and devices that can be used by students with cognitive disabilities to access computer technology.