My name is Jess and I am hard of hearing. I live in a residence hall on an urban campus. I need to walk several blocks through high traffic areas to my classes, to the dining hall, and to social activities.
Attempt to include students in fieldwork opportunities, rather than automatically suggesting nonfieldwork alternatives. Ask the student how they might be able to do a specific aspect of fieldwork, and work together to develop the best access solution. Include special needs in requests for field trip vehicle reservations, and provide materials in alternate formats as appropriate.
A student with a mental illness may have one or more of the following psychiatric diagnoses (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
This is a mood disorder that can begin at any age. Major depression may be characterized by a depressed mood most of each day, a lack of pleasure in previously enjoyed activities, thoughts of suicide, insomnia, and consistent feelings of worthlessness or guilt.
Universal design is an approach that strives to make products and environments welcoming, accessible, and usable for everyone. Universal design principles were developed at the Center for Universal Design. They can be tailored to specific applications such as curriculum, instruction, career service offices, multimedia, tutoring and learning centers, museums, computer labs, and web pages.
National testing services are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations, and most have information on their websites about how to document a disability and request accommodations. However, students and their advocates must get all documentation prepared well in advance. The review of required forms and notification of approval or denial of accommodations for national exams can take several months.
A number of tools and strategies are available that can make fieldwork accessible to students who are blind. Some of those tools - such as guide dogs - are already part of many students' lives. Others are easy to purchase. Braille compasses and talking compasses are readily available from online stores and, in combination with Braille or tactile maps, could be very effective for finding locations if students who are blind are instructed on how to use them.
The policy regarding transportation should be the same for students with disabilities as it is for students without disabilities. It is most often the case that students arrange their own transportation to and from internships. The student with special needs should look into options for accessible transportation (e.g., accessible bus, van service). The campus disabled student services office may be able to assist with this process.
Sam is a sophomore with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He is having difficulty managing a full-time preengineering course load. He does not have enough time to keep up with all of his courses.
Sam wants to take a reduced course load but needs to remain eligible for financial assistance and campus housing. He was told by student services staff that he would be ineligible for financial aid and campus housing if he was not registered as a full-time student.
There are exemptions to the copyright laws that allow for reproduction of purchased materials into alternate formats for use by people with print disabilities. Any material copied for this purpose must not be sold. It is important to make the material available only to the student requesting it and not freely available as on a web page.
Joe is a high school sophomore who is legally blind. He can see shadows and bright colors and discern letters and numbers with large print and bold fonts.