Supportive Resources
As a faculty and staff member here at ²ÝÁñÉçÇø you will be engaging with a number of different students from different backgrounds and ways of life. It is important to know how you can assist students, especially students with disabilities, throughout their academic journey. Below you will be able to find supportive services that might be helpful and additional information on disabilities and possible observations. If you still have additional questions and/or concerns, please Contact Us!
Supportive Resources for Faculty and Staff
The is a collaborative space that unites students, faculty, and staff, harnessing your collective expertise to foster a vibrant exchange of knowledge, culture, and lived experiences. When making websites, documents and canvas pages accessible for everyone, CTL is a grerat resource to assist faculty and staff members. are able to guide faculty through important accessibility guidelines and tools that are already in place to assist them.
There might be a number of that you might observe within your classroom or when engaging with students that could be a sign of distress or that the student is in need of assistance. Disability Services (DS) suggests that faculty and staff familiarize themselves with potential warning signs, so they can recognize them if they encounter them in real life.
Another useful resource for faculty is to review what exactly is and how to make a classroom environment more inclusive for everyone! The Special Education Support Center does not only have information and supportive resources for faculty and staff, but also for parents/caregivers and students.
Emergency Preparedness
Additionally, we request that all faculty, staff and students review our Emergency Preparedness Guide. In a case of emergency it is vitally important that faculty and staff be prepared to assist all students, especially students with disabilities, when evacuating a building or managing crisis situations. If you are concerned or have questions about the Emergency Preparedness Guide, or what your job specifically is as a faculty and/or staff member, please contact our office to set up a meeting.
Possible Observations in Your Classroom
​As a faculty and/or staff here at ²ÝÁñÉçÇø, you might have a student or students in your classroom who have learning difference, injury and/or a mental or physical disability. It is important to know what potential observations you might make in the classroom and what they could mean, as well as knowing the impacts a disability can have on your student(s). Below you will find a drop down menu with the most common learning differences, conditions and disabilities that you might observe within your classroom. If you have any questions about potential Accommodations, please Contact Us and we will be happy to answer your questions.
Learning Differences
Learning differences affect a person's ability to take in and use the given information. A learning difference does not affect the IQ of a student, but rather affects the students ability to take in, recognize, organize and comprehend information. The four main learning differences are:
A student with a learning difference (LD) in mathematics has difficulty retrieving basic arithmetic facts from memory, identifying or organizing numbers, sequencing numbers or mathematical processes, and solving complex mathematical calculations accurately under time constraints.
A student who is diagnosed with Math LD may or may not have processing difficulties with reading or writing. A student with Math LD may experience a deficit in processing and remembering visual information impeding the counting and sequencing processes. Some students with Math LD have difficulty with lower level processes such as simple arithmetic and sequencing but have no difficulty with higher level abstract mathematical concepts.
Possible Observations:
- May reverse, rotate, substitute, omit, or transpose figures, equations, or numbers
- May have difficulty differentiating between mathematical symbols
- May have difficulty appropriately lining up columns of numbers
- May be unable to quickly perform mental mathematics
- May have difficulty generating or understanding diagrams
- May have difficulty solving complex problems with multiple steps under time constraint
Students diagnosed with a learning difference (LD) in reading have difficulty recognizing, decoding, or comprehending written words.
A person with a learning difference in reading may have difficulty connecting sounds with the letters that represent them. This difficulty may manifest during silent reading or when reading aloud. A learning difference in reading often affects all areas of a person's educational experience because much educational content is transmitted through text.
Possible Observations:
- May be reluctant to read out loud in class
- May read at a slower pace than peers
- May have difficulty with pronunciation of unfamiliar words
- May have difficulty summarizing text
- May rely entirely on auditory information from class
- May have difficulty organizing or synthesizing information from text
- May demonstrate poor comprehension of written materials
Students diagnosed with a learning difference (LD) in writing have difficulties in organizing information into written form.
A student with a difference in writing may encounter a wide range of difficulties when generating written output. When conceptualizing a written work, a student may have great difficulty organizing thoughts into sentence or paragraph compositions. The inability to correctly choose words spelled correctly may cause a student with a writing disability to write simple sentences and avoid using some vocabulary because they are not confident in either their spelling or their correct use of vocabulary.
Possible Observations:
- May have difficulty organizing ideas and structuring them formally
- May produce text containing incomplete thoughts or run-on sentences
- May frequently misspell words or reverse and rotate letters
- May write in a short and informal way, lacking detail
- May use a limited vocabulary of comfortable terms
- May write with simplified grammar use or show difficulty using grammar correctly
When a person is diagnosed with a learning difference (LD) that is not specified as a reading, writing, or math disability, it is often because the person has a combination of reading, writing, or math difficulties. These difficulties are most often symptoms of processing deficits.
A person who has a learning difference not otherwise specified may have deficits in auditory processing, visual processing, speed of processing, or any combination of these. These processing difficulties make it difficult for a student to learn information as efficiently as a student without a learning disability.
Possible Observations:
- May rely entirely on one sensory modality (auditory or visual) in the classroom
- May have difficulty organizing or synthesizing information
- May have difficulty picturing mechanical processes or concepts
- May have difficulty identifying critical information
- May have difficulty comprehending patterns
- May have difficulty performing steps in proper order
- May have difficulty understanding spatial concepts
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Assistive note taking devices
- Clarification of questions
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- E-text
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor Notes
- Large print
- Note taker
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Scribe
- Simplified visual information
- Specialized software
- Spelling assistance on exams
- Use of calculator
- Use of a computer for essay exams
- Written feedback on progress
- Written notice of changes
Speech and Language Challenges
Speech challenges involve difficulties with the physical production of speech. These challenges fall within three categories: articulation (phonetic difficulty making individual speech sounds, or phonological difficulty organizing individual speech sounds), fluency (stuttering, cluttering), and voice (tone, pitch, shortness of breath).
Persons suffering from a speech challenge may have no speech or incomprehensible speech, while others may be understandable but have a strange sound, unusual cadence, or other atypical qualities. It's important to note that speech challenges are different from language challenges. Speech challenges are identified in relation to the physical act of speaking, rather than processing deficits.
Language challenges involve linguistic processing deficits that affect spoken or written language. These types of challenges may involve receptive or expressive language. Two common language challenges are aphasia and dyslexia, but there are many other language challenges and each has different symptoms.
Many students with language challenges are also diagnosed with learning differences in reading and writing. Language challenges are independent of IQ and other non-linguistic processing faculties and therefore present normally across all intelligence and ability levels.
Language challenges impact students' abilities to express themselves in class discussions or to rapidly process spoken language impacting their ability to fully participate in the educational environment.
Possible Observations:
- May be difficult to understand
- May be reluctant to participate or read aloud in class
- May trip over words or take a long time to communicate
- May prefer written communication outside of class (email instead of office hours)
- May have difficulty recalling specific words
- May reverse letters
- May have difficulty with proper grammar
- May have difficulty interpreting figurative language
- May have difficulty expressing ideas coherently
- May have poor spelling skills
- May have difficulty with pronunciation
Possible Accommodations:
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Clarification of questions
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- E-text
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor Notes
- Large print
- Note taker
- Private testing environment
- Scripe
- Simplified visual information
- Specialized software
- Spelling assistance on exams
- Vocalized text
- Written feedback on progress
- Written notification on changes
Food Allergies and Challenges
Food allergies are a negative physical response to specific foods or food-derived products.
Food allergies result from an immune reaction to specific allergens found in a food or food-derived product. Food allergens may pose different levels of risk to a given individual, from moderate to severe (anaphylaxis), through repeated exposure to even small amounts of allergen may increase severity significantly.
Gastrointestinal challenges vary widely in severity and symptomatology. Students with these challenges may frequently exhibit no symptoms, however during flare ups students may appear tired or distracted, need to leave class frequently, or be absent.
Gastrointestinal challenges include conditions such as ulcers, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and crohn's disease.
Eating disorders cover a broad range of extreme behaviors related to eating such as an extreme reduction of food intake, overeating, or concern over body weight or body image.
Eating disorders are medical illnesses with complex underlying psychological and biological causes. Treating eating disorders requires assistance from physicians, psychologists and dietitians and often requires a special diet. Students with eating disorders often have other conditions both psychological and physical such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, kidney or heart disease, anemia or vitamin deficiencies.
Possible Observations:
- May not participate in activities or environments involving exposure to certain food-derived materials
- May have moderate to life-threatening reactions to very small allergen exposures
- May be absent more often than other students
- May display fatigue
- May need to leave class frequently
- May not participate in any activity that involves eating
- May avoid presentations or activities that would put them in front of the class
- May be susceptible to infection or viruses
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Dietary accommodation
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Personal Care attendant
- Private testing environment
- Single Room
Physical Health Conditions
Long-term physical conditions are those which can't currently be cured but can be managed with medication or other treatment. Long-term physical health conditions can impact the student's everyday life and potentially limit their ability to perform certain tasks efficiently or completely.
The term sleep disorder refers to a broad range of conditions including insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy.
Sleep disorder is a general term for a result in an inability to maintain a functional sleep pattern. This may manifest as a significantly reduced ability to get needed sleep or an inability to prevent the onset of sleep at inappropriate times. Sleep apnea is a common condition impacting the ability to get enough air during sleep resulting in oxygen deprivation.
Restless leg syndrome causes an urge to move when lying down thereby preventing sleep. Insomnia is the inability to go to sleep or stay asleep. Narcolepsy is a nervous system disorder characterized by generally unpredictable bouts of extreme drowsiness which often result in the student falling asleep.
Possible Observations:
- May appear tired
- May be distracted
- May be frequently absent
- Difficulty attending to lecture or staying awake in class
Repetitive stress syndrome is a group of muscular conditions resulting from repeated motions performed in daily or work activities. Repetitive stress syndrome occurs most commonly in the hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
Repetitive stress syndrome is characterized by pain, numbness, tingling, and the loss of flexibility and strength of the affected area. Left untreated these conditions can cause damage to the soft tissues of the body, and compression of the nerves or tissue. Treatment options include reducing or stopping the motions that cause symptoms, taking rest breaks, and adopting stretching and relaxation exercises.
Possible Observations:
- Difficulty completing in-class assignments requiring writing or fine motor skills
- Requests for assistance on tasks that require repeated motion
Respiratory disorders are conditions that affect the pulmonary system and impact students' ability to breathe effectively. Depending on the type of lung disease, symptoms can consist of wheezing, inability to take a deep breath, inability to exhale fully, or chronic coughing.
Respiratory disorders include chronic lung disorders (e.g. asthma, bronchitis), chronic sinus infections, and occupational lung diseases (e.g. asbestosis). Symptoms vary depending on the type of respiratory disorder but may include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain or tightness, runny nose, and fatigue. The most common chronic respiratory disorders are chronic sinusitis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Respiratory disorders can impact more than just breathing, as lack of oxygen can impair students' energy, ability to concentrate, and physical endurance.
Possible Observations:
- Might be absent more frequently than other students
- Might use an inhaler or supplemental oxygen
- Might have difficulty with stairs or vigorous physical activity
- May need to avoid contracting colds or viruses
Blood disorders are conditions involving the various components and functions of blood in the body: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, or blood clotting. Hemophilia, anemia, sickle-cell disease, and blood clots are a few well-known blood disorders.
Blood disorders and their characteristics vary widely and some blood disorders are genetically inherited (e.g. hemophilia) while others can be due to environment or conditional factors (e.g. anemia, blood clots).
Depending on the disorder, a student may be frequently absent, appear tired, gaunt or pale. Blood disorders may not impact a student's cognitive abilities themselves but treatment, exhaustion, or side effects of medication may impact the ability to effectively or efficiently demonstrate their knowledge or understanding of concepts in class or in testing situations.
Possible Observations:
- Physical weakness
- Fatigue
- Periodic absences
An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly produces antibodies that destroy normal, healthy body tissues.
There are more than 80 recognized autoimmune disorders. Some examples of autoimmune disorders are Addison's Disease, Grave's Disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and lupus. In these disorders, the body's immune system mistakenly produces antibodies in response to normal, healthy body tissues which then attack and destroy the latter.
The symptoms of autoimmune disorders vary depending on which disease the person has, but many persons with autoimmune disorders experience dizziness, fatigue, a general feeling of illness, and sometimes a persistent low fever.
Possible Observations:
- May become fatigued easily
- May have reduced physical strength
- May be frequently absent due to treatment or illness
- May have stiffness or pain
- May experience weight loss or weight gain
- May have reduced motor skills
Arthritis is inflammation of the joints but is often used to describe any disease that affects the joints. The most common arthritis in student populations is rheumatoid arthritis which is a condition where the body's immune system attacks the thin membrane that lines the joints, causing pain, swelling, and inflammation.
Students with arthritis experience swelling in one or more joints, early morning pain and stiffness, recurring pain or tenderness, and weakness combined with joint pain. Skin, joint, kidney, lung, heart, nervous system, and blood cell infections may accompany fatigue and difficulty in sleeping for students with arthritis.
Possible Observations:
- May have difficulty writing
- May need to stand during long classes
- May occasionally miss class due to flare ups
Cancer treatment consists of a variety of medical therapies that can reduce, control, or eliminate cancer cells in a person's body. There are many treatments for cancer; the most common are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Cancer treatments can cause significant side effects due to the nature of the treatment.
Chemotherapy kills both cancer and healthy cells which can cause side effects such as physical and cognitive fatigue, nausea, pain, immune suppression, etc. Students who are undergoing cancer treatment may require accommodation to continue with school during and after treatment.
Possible Observations:
- May be more frequently absent for treatment and recovery
- May experience physical and cognitive fatigue
- May need to leave class unexpectedly
- May need to be absent to avoid contracting infection
Heart conditions include a variety of diseases or disorders affecting the heart and circulatory system. Students may not appear to have any symptoms, but observable symptoms may include weakness, fatigue, fainting, sweating, or nausea.
Some examples of heart conditions are heart attacks, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, congenital or inherited heart conditions, cardiomyopathy, and valve disorders. In addition to those that may be observable, students may have an unusual heartbeat rhythm, palpitations, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, or pain.
A stroke occurs when a blood clot or vascular rupture interrupts blood flow to the brain. When the brain does not receive adequate blood flow, brain cells don't receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood. Without necessary oxygen, brain cells die and brain damage occurs.
Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability. How a student is affected by a stroke depends on where in the brain the stroke takes place and how much of the brain is damaged. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities (e.g. speech, movement, or memory) controlled by that area of the brain might be impacted.
Possible Observations:
- May actively avoid confrontational situations such as debates
- Might be absent more often than other students
- Might appear tired or fatigued
- May ask to be excused from strenuous physical activities
- Impulsiveness
- Visual field impairments
- Short term memory difficulties
- Speech difficulties (aphasia)
- A need for frequent feedback or clarification of tasks
- Difficulties making generalizations
- Coordination or balance problems
- Paralysis
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that damages the cells of the immune system. As HIV infection progresses, the immune system weakens and the body becomes less able to fight infection. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is defined as the presence in the body of twenty or more opportunistic infections or HIV-related cancers.
The symptoms and severity of HIV vary widely and can fluctuate over time. Students with HIV may appear to have no symptoms at all or may have flu-like symptoms. Treatment with medication is successful in slowing the progression of the disease sometimes for substantial time periods. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that damages the cells of the immune system. As HIV infection progresses, the immune system weakens and the body becomes less able to fight infection.
Possible Observations:
- May be absent more often than other students.
- May need to actively avoid exposure to infections or viruses.
- Will need to avoid activities that might lead to cuts or abrasions
Initially students with Lyme disease may have flu-like symptoms, fever and fatigue. As the illness progresses, symptoms such as heart palpitations, migratory joint and muscle pain, severe headaches, neurological problems (e.g. meningitis, Bell's palsy), and central nervous problems can impact memory and cognition.
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. It is caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and it is transmitted to humans by the "bites" of certain kinds of ticks. Early in the illness Lyme disease can be confused with the flu, but as the disease progresses it can lead to cardiac, musculoskeletal, neurological, or other system involvement. Patients with chronic Lyme disease often experience severe headaches, fatigue, pain, insomnia, and memory problems.
Possible Observations:
- May be absent more often than other students
- May experience seizures
- May exhibit anxious behavior
- May drop items or have tremors
- May experience memory problems intermittently
Epilepsy is a neurological condition impacting the nervous system causing seizures.
In epilepsy, the normal pattern of neural activity is disrupted causing seizures. Depending on where in the brain the seizure takes place a student may experience convulsions, muscle spasms, or loss of consciousness. Most seizures only last a minute or two but the resulting confusion or exhaustion may last longer.
Some students may be aware of seizure triggers (situations or events that may bring on a seizure) but others have no known triggers. Most individuals with epilepsy are able to control the severity or frequency of seizures through medication. However stress, sleep patterns, and visual and sound patterns may trigger seizures.
For a period after a seizure, students may exhibit fatigue, short-term memory deficits, difficulty writing, or appear disoriented.
Possible Observations:
- May appear disoriented
- May leave classroom abruptly
- May experience petit or grand seizures
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Ability to stand in class
- Accessible Classroom
- Accessible Residence
- Accessible Testing site
- Accessible transportation
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Assistive ²ÝÁñÉçÇø device
- Assistive note taking device
- Clarification of classroom rules
- Clarification of questions
- Controlled lighting
- Dietary accommodations
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- E-text
- Eliminate flicker
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor notes
- Medical equipment access
- Personal care attendant
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Rest breaks during exams
- Room on ground floor
- Scribe
- Service animal
- Single room
- Specialized equipment
- Specialized furniture
- Specialized software
- Video captioning
- Written notification of changes
Visual Challenges
Students with visual challenges have a variety of conditions that impact their ability to see. There are varying degrees of vision challenges ranging from some usable vision, low vision, to complete blindness. Visual challenges can often make learning more difficult, especially in classroom settings.
A person who is legally blind at best can view at a distance of 20 feet away an object viewable by a person with average vision at a distance of 200 feet away. Some persons classified as legally blind may have extremely limited vision, while others may have no sight at all. Blindness and extreme visual challenges often make major basic life activities more difficult when the design of the environment assumes average sightedness.
Color blindness is the result of pigment abnormalities in certain nerve cells of the eyes. Students with the most common form of color blindness have difficulty distinguishing between red and green. Contrast discrimination has to do with distinguishing between shading or intensity of color. Problems with contrast discrimination make visual processing difficult and more time consuming as students need to view content longer to process the parts of an image. Depending on the luminance and the degree of the visual impairment, the student may not be able to process the image at all.
Possible Observations:
- May have great difficulty or an inability to see visual information from a distance
- May have difficulty with navigation and may use a cane or a service animal for navigation
- May or may not have the ability to sense or read Braille text
- May request that someone read to them from the board
- May request a seat in the front of the room
- May request that a large font be used for projected slides
- May be unable to distinguish shades within a color range
- May have difficulty understanding color-dependent content
- May take longer to process complex or color dependent diagrams
Possible Accommodations:
- Accessible testing cite
- Accessible residence
- Accessible transportation
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Assistive Note taking Device
- Audio description of visual information
- Braille Materials
- Content not color dependent
- Controlled lighting
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility for assignments
- Flexibility for attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Large print
- Personal care attendant
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Screen reader accessible content
- Scribe
- Service animal
- Specialized software
- Vocalized texts
Hard of Hearing and Deafness
Hearing loss is a reduction in acuity, sensitivity, or clarity that makes understanding what is being said difficult. A hearing impairment impacts the ability to hear sounds at certain decibels and frequencies. Hearing loss can be a result of neurological, environmental, or physical influences and includes such medical conditions such as tinnitus.
Deafness is the complete loss of hearing. Students who are completely or functionally deaf must depend primarily upon visual communication such as sign language, lip-reading, writing, or transcription. Some, but not all, deaf individuals are skilled at lip-reading. Many deaf individuals use sign language. Inability to hear does not necessarily affect the physical ability to produce sounds. However, persons with hearing loss, especially if they became deaf at a young age, may be nonverbal or have speech impairments.
Possible Observations:
- May need to sit in the front of the classroom.
- May require the use of an amplification system.
- May have difficulty hearing in crowded or noisy environments.
- May focus on the speaker's lips to lip read.
- May have speech impediments or be nonverbal
- May struggle with written English grammar
- May use a transcriptionist or interpreter.
- May have difficulty with balance.
Possible Accommodations:
- Accessible residence
- Assistive ²ÝÁñÉçÇø devices
- Captionist
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- E-text
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility for assignments
- Flexibility for attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor Notes
- Note taker
- Personal care attendant
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduce background noise
- Sign Language Interpreter
- Video captioning
- Written notifications
Permanent Disabilities
Permanent disabilities generally refer to disabilities that will last for the remainder of the individual's life. Below are some common permanent disabilities:
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that appears in infancy or early childhood and permanently impacts body movement and muscle coordination but does not progress over time.
Cerebral palsy is not a disease. It is caused by abnormalities in the parts of the brain that control muscle movement. Symptoms may include but are not limited to: muscle weakness, abnormal posture, poor muscle control and lack of coordination, muscle spasms or seizures, impaired speech, and cognitive limitations that result in learning disabilities.
Possible Observations:
- May have difficulty controlling arms or legs
- May drool extensively as a result of poor muscle control
- May be nonverbal or difficult to understand when speaking
- May have difficulty with fine motor coordination
- May experience visual difficulties
- May have difficulty with hearing
- May have difficulty with short- or long-term memory
- May have difficulty with processing information accurately and quickly
- May have trouble focusing on more than one task
- May exhibit distracting behaviors or vocalizations as a result of the inability to control muscles
- Voice may be loud as a result of a lack of ability to control the muscles that allow voice modulation
Cystic fibrosis is a disorder that causes severe lung damage and nutritional deficiencies.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that causes thickening of the mucus and sweat glands, clogging the lungs, making breathing difficult and facilitating infection due to bacteria growth. Additionally, students with cystic fibrosis may have issues with nutrient absorption, hydration, and diabetes. The symptoms of cystic fibrosis can vary over time but almost always become worse as the student ages.
Additionally, because the symptoms and severity vary by individual and over time, students with cystic fibrosis may show no clear symptoms or may appear tired, weak, or have noticeable breathing problems. Some students will be awaiting the opportunity for a lung transplant and as they are highly susceptible to infection may need to avoid contracting viruses or infection.
Possible Observations:
- May need to leave class if breathing becomes difficult
- May need to be absent more frequently than other students
- May need to withdraw for medical reasons
- May have difficulty with extreme cold
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition resulting from overactive nerve firing that causes physical fatigue and muscle pain. Students with fibromyalgia may experience stiffness, headaches, tingling, numbness, difficulty sleeping, and problems with cognition and memory.
Students with fibromyalgia may have a variety of additional symptoms including sleep disturbances, fatigue, problems with cognitive functioning, headaches, and environmental sensitivities. Anxiety and depression often accompany fibromyalgia but should be treated distinctly.
Possible Observations:
- May be absent more frequently than other students
- May require special seating or carry pillows, etc.
The term little person refers to individuals of short stature, typically persons under a height of 4 '10". Little people often, but not always, have medical or genetic conditions causing their short stature.
Regardless of their medical conditions or label, little people generally require accommodations for their height restriction and mobility concerns.
Possible Observations:
- Assistance in reaching materials that are placed too high
- Request a smaller keyboard, desk, chair, or other equipment
- Use of a wheelchair or scooter to move around more quickly
Ménière's Disease is an inner ear disorder that causes sudden unexpected vertigo, dizziness, and balance issues as well as tinnitus, pressure or pain in the ear, and intermittent hearing loss.
Students with Ménière's Disease have very little warning of dizziness, balance issues, pain, or intermittent hearing loss. Other occasional symptoms include headaches, abdominal discomfort, and nausea as a result of the vertigo. Students with Ménière's Disease tend to recover hearing in between episodes but as the episodes continue their hearing ability will deteriorate.
Possible Observations:
- Might have headaches or ear pain
- May occasionally have difficulty hearing or understanding what is said
- May appear dizzy
- May need to leave the classroom unexpectedly
- May wait until the other students leave to avoid being in a crowd of students
- May require a hearing assistance system or transcription
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic condition that attacks the central nervous system eventually causing permanent damage. The symptoms often vary depending on the amount and location of the damage and can disappear for months at a time. Ultimately MS can cause permanent nerve damage.
Multiple Sclerosis is a disorder in which the immune system destroys the protective covering of the body's nerves interfering with communication between the brain and the body. The damage may interrupt or distort messages between the nerves and the brain producing variable symptoms. Multiple Sclerosis may occur at any age but most commonly begins in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40.
Possible Observations:
- May exhibit clumsiness or lack of coordination
- May use a cane on some occasions but not others
- May be absent in extreme weather conditions
- May leave the classroom unexpectedly
- May demonstrate muscle weakness and be unable to write without assistive technology
Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic muscle diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. There are many diseases that fall in this category differing in rate of progression, age of onset, or extent of muscle weakness.
Students with muscular dystrophy have muscle fibers that are unusually susceptible to damage. Over time, muscles become weaker. Although voluntary muscles are usually most often involved, certain types of muscular dystrophy affect heart muscles or other involuntary muscles and organs. All muscles may be affected or only specific groups of muscles such as shoulder, pelvic, or facial muscles. MD can cause delays in muscle motor skills, drooling, frequent falls, loss of muscle strength, and problems walking.
Possible Observations:
- Difficulty handling handouts or textbooks
- Difficulty participating in laboratories
- Inability to take notes
- May be absent more often than other students
- May use assistive technology to participate in class
A student with restricted limb use is missing or cannot use one or more of their appendages.
Students with restricted limb use may require assistance in a variety of tasks requiring fine or gross motor skills. Students with restricted limb use may use prosthetics or other assistive technologies to compensate. Such restrictions may be caused by conditions present at birth, while others are the result of illness or physical injury.
Students' needs in an academic setting will vary depending on the kind of restriction and accommodations present.
Possible Observations:
- May have difficulty grasping objects such as a pen
- May have difficulty with typing or handwriting
- May have spastic or jerking hand or arm movement
- May experience muscle fatigue from motor tasks
- May be unable to lift objects
- May be unable to turn pages of a book
- May have a service animal for balance
- May have difficulty walking or be unable to walk
Spina bifida is a birth defect where part of the spinal cord does not close properly during fetal development. Spinal birth defects are associated with learning disabilities, skin problems, latex allergies, urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal problems, and depression.
Spina bifida is the most common type of neural tube defect. The improper development of the spinal cord can result in exposed nerves and malformation of the spine. It most often causes some degree of paralysis; the degree of the paralysis depends on the location and severity of the defect.
Possible Observations:
- Might experience learning difficulties
- Might be able to walk but it can cause pain
- Might be absent more than other students
- Might use a wheelchair, scooter, or crutches
Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by motor and vocal tics. These tics are repetitive involuntary movements that most commonly occur as eye blinks, shoulder shrugs, facial grimaces, or head jerking.
Tourette syndrome is clinically defined as multiple motor or vocal tics that repeatedly occur for longer than one year. Students with Tourette syndrome can exhibit a wide variety of tics which may increase with excitement or under stress. Motor tics can occur in only one part of the body or they may present as full body tics (e.g. jumping, startling). Although frequently portrayed in the media as a key characteristic of Tourette syndrome, the involuntary expression of socially unacceptable language (called coprolalia) is an uncommon symptom of the condition.
Tourette syndrome can be confused with tourettism, which refers to tics in the absence of Tourette syndrome; these tics are often associated with other conditions such as Fragile X syndrome and Klinefelter's syndrome. Both Tourette syndrome and conditions causing tourettism have been associated with learning disabilities; therefore, it is important to examine the possibility of comorbidity learning problems when considering accommodations for students with Tourette syndrome or tourettism.
Possible Observations:
- May startle easily
- May require assistance when fine motor skills are required
- May appear to blink constantly
- May have unusual speech patterns or have a stutter
- May exhibit tremors
- May exhibit facial tics or have spasms of the arms or legs
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Ability to stand in class
- Accessible classroom
- Accessible residence
- Accessible testing site
- Accessible transportation
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Assistive ²ÝÁñÉçÇø device
- Assistive note taking device
- Clarification of classroom rules
- Clarification of questions
- Controlled lighting
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- E-text
- Eliminate flicker
- Emergency evacuation assistance
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignment
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility with classroom environment
- Instructor notes
- Medical Equipment Access
- Personal care attendant
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Room on ground floor
- Scribe
- Service Animal
- Single room
Chronic Conditions
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a feeling of overwhelming exhaustion that is not remedied by bed rest and may be exacerbated by vigorous physical or mental activity. It is diagnosed as a syndrome if the fatigue has been severe enough to interfere with quality of life for more than 6 months.
Chronic infections are related to the breakdown or dysfunction of the immune system. Chronic infections cause inflammation of tissues, nutritional deficiencies, stress on the adrenal glands and on the immune system as a whole. Chronic infections such as hepatitis, malaria, etc. are often episodic and may lie in remission for long periods of time.
Chronic kidney disease causes gradual damage to the kidneys and loss of kidney function. The kidneys are responsible for filtering waste and fluids from the bloodstream. When they are damaged, high levels of waste and fluid can accumulate in the body, which may require dialysis or a transplant. This can lead to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, swelling of the feet and ankles, frequent urination, and toxins.
Chronic pain is the presence of extended pain beyond an expected healing period. Such pain has typically lasted for more than 6 months since onset. Chronic pain has many possible sources, often originating in previous physical, neurological, or disease related traumas.
Possible Observations:
- Might be absent more often than others due to treatment
- May have frequent headaches
- May be more susceptible to infection and disease
- May seem inattentive
- Might appear fatigued, both physically and cognitively
- May hesitate to move, especially after sitting for a period of time
- May appear fatigued or distracted due to pain
- May have difficulty sitting or standing in one position for extended period
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Ability to stand in class
- Access to medical equipment
- Accessible testing cite
- Accessible residence
- Accessible transportation
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Clarification of questions
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor notes
- Note taker
- Personal care attendant
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Room on ground floor
- Scribe
- Service animal
- Single room
- Specialized equipment
- Specialized furniture
- Use of computer for exams
Mental Health
Mental Health illnesses and disorders can affect positive classroom learning experiences and social interactions with peers and instructors. Both of these are critical to the success of a student within a course. While physical illnesses, injuries or disorders might be noticeable, mental illnesses and disorders are in most cases not. Some of the most common mental health illnesses and disorders are:
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a neurobiological disorder resulting from problems in the dopamine neurotransmitter systems in the brain. It consists of deficits in behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and resistance to distraction, and the regulation of one's activity level to the demands of a situation (hyperactivity or restlessness).
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Students with AD/HD have difficulty with attending to details, sustaining attention, and following through on instructions. They will tend to avoid tasks that take significant amounts of time, have difficulty with social interactions and be easily distracted by extraneous stimuli. The term 'attention deficit' is somewhat misleading as individuals with AD/HD actually have difficulty regulating attention rather than having a deficit in attention. Another aspect of AD/HD is hyperfocus where the individual locks onto another person or activity to the exclusion of everything else in the environment.
The hyperactivity aspect of the disorder involves difficulty in finishing tasks, sitting still for long periods, and a tendency to be impulsive especially in stressful situations when the student is feeling rushed to make a decision. Difficulty processing auditory information is often a characteristic of AD/HD
Possible Observations:
- May seem easily distracted or have a hard time focusing on lectures
- May have difficulty taking notes
- May have problems completing tasks
- Focus on areas of interest to the exclusion of other critical information
- Have difficulty organizing information or following directions
- Make inappropriate comments
- Display widely varying performance
Clinical depression is a medical condition with both cognitive and physical effects. It is marked by low mood, fatigue, being socially withdrawn, and a general loss of interest in previously valued activities.
Clinical depression often involves feelings of sadness for extended periods of time, loss of interest in life, hopelessness, decreased energy, and inability to focus. It can affect a person's ability to perform usual tasks and activities of daily living.
Possible Observations:
- May appear tired or sleepy
- May articulate persistent negative feelings
- May demonstrate a lack of interest or engagement in class
- May exhibit reduced energy and stamina
- May have poor class attendance
- May have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- May have difficulty with organization and meeting deadlines
- May have difficulty tracking conversations or lectures
- May have difficulties with communication or difficulties in social situations
Students with anxiety disorders experience chronic feelings of worry or apprehension that may or may not be precipitated by phobias. In extreme cases the anxiety may express itself in panic attacks.
Anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older in a given year causing them to be filled with fearfulness and uncertainty. Unlike the relatively brief anxiety caused by a stressful event such as giving a speech, anxiety disorders last at least 6 months and can get worse if left untreated. Students with anxiety disorders may have excessive but non-specific worries about just about anything in their environment. They may have difficulty concentrating, falling and staying asleep, and may startle easily.
Possible Observations:
- Poor attendance
- Anxious behavior during a spirited discussion or debate
- Absence when scheduled to do a presentation
- Lack of participation in class discussions
- Extreme nervousness or irritability
- Lack of ability to concentrate
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which a student persistently focuses on obsessive thoughts, irrational fears, or repetitive rituals and routines.
OCD is an anxiety disorder in which a student persists in thinking about irrational fears that cause them significant stress; in an effort to ease their distress, the student is driven to engage in repetitive behaviors. The irrational thoughts and fears are often focused on a theme, such as a fear of germs or a fear of bad luck, and the repetitive behaviors often follow that theme (e.g. repeatedly washing hands, making certain the number of repetitions is a lucky number).
Students with OCD are not just perfectionists; their obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors cause significant distress and interfere with their quality of life.
Possible Observations:
- Student may frequently be absent or late to class
- Students may act withdrawn or distracted
- Students' interactions may be awkward or disjointed
- Students may perseverate about seemingly trivial things
- Students may seem anxious
- Student may exhibit repetitive behaviors
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that generally occurs after seeing or living through a dangerous or traumatic event.
In a dangerous situation, fear triggers a physical response to either flee from the danger or to defend against the danger. People who have PTSD have persistent feelings of stress or fright even when they are no longer in danger. Students who have PTSD include survivors of physical or sexual assault or abuse, accidents, disasters, combat or other serious events. Others get PTSD after a friend or family member is harmed or they experience the sudden, unexpected death of a loved one.
Students with PTSD experience flashbacks reliving the trauma that can be triggered by words, objects or situations that are reminders of the original trauma. They often avoid engaging in events or going places that are reminders of the experience. Students who have experienced physical abuse or assault may be hyper vigilant and avoid being touched or startled easily. Having such responses are not unusual after a traumatic event but in a student with PTSD the responses persist for months or years.
Possible Observations:
- May startle easily
- May react emotionally to discussions that trigger reminders of the trauma (e.g. low noises, descriptions of abuse or assault)
- May avoid activities that could trigger memories
- May exhibit hypervigilance
- May have difficulty with concentration
Personality disorders consist of a chronic pattern of thinking and behaving that is inflexible, dysfunctional, and may be detrimental to the student and to relationships. The symptoms of personality disorders vary depending on the specific type of disorder, but almost all students with personality disorders have difficulty dealing with everyday stresses and may have dysfunctional interactions with others.
Personality disorders, according to the American Psychological Association, are characterized by an "enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the culture of the individual who exhibits it". These behaviors frequently lead to distress in life or impairment of the ability to go about routine functions at work, school or social situations.
Possible Observations:
- Irrational suspicion, distrust of others
- Rigid patterns of thinking
- Attention-seeking behavior
- Sudden mood swings
- Students might seem uninterested in relationships, aloof, or distrustful of others
- Student might make grandiose claims
- Student might be argumentative or defensive
- May tend to blame failure or disappointment on others
- Constant need to seek approval from others
- Self-centeredness or a need to be the center of attention
- May be overly sensitive to criticism
- Low tolerance for delayed gratification or frustration
- Impulsiveness
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness involving moods that can swing from overly high and irritable (mania) to sad and hopeless (depressed), and then back again, with periods of normal mood in between.
The essential feature of bipolar disorder is a course of one or more manic or mixed episodes. Often students have also had one or more major depressive episodes. A person in a manic episode will exhibit boundless energy, ambition, and self-esteem and may also demonstrate risk-taking behavior and irritability. Alternately, major depressive episodes are characterized by depressed (low) mood, loss of pleasure in previously enjoyed activities, changes in appetite and psychomotor activity; difficulty concentrating, thinking, and making decisions; and exceptionally low self-esteem demonstrated by negative self-statements.
Possible Observations:
- Periods when they show a lack of interest or engagement in class
- Distinct, severe changes in mood (from persistently sad or flat, to active or anxious)
- Problems making decisions and concentrating in class
- Poor class attendance
- Negative self-statements
- Excessive activity and physical motor restlessness
- Impulsivity (high-risk behavior, beginning an inordinate number of new projects)
- Inflated self-esteem and estimation of abilities, grandiosity
- Problems remembering or organizing information
- Difficulty meeting deadlines
- Difficulty handling stress or emotions
Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe psychiatric disorder. Students with untreated schizophrenia may hear voices, believe that they are being controlled by others or are being plotted against. These fears make them withdrawn or agitated. Treatment relieves many symptoms of the disease but some symptoms will persist at some level even with medication.
Students with schizophrenia may lose touch with reality and remember or believe that they have heard, seen or otherwise experienced things that haven't happened. Most often they will report that they have heard "voices." Students whose medication is not working optimally may have delusions and believe that others are plotting against them or that they have special abilities.
Possible Observations:
- May appear to have flat affect (face does not move or speech is dull or monotone)
- Show lack of ability to begin and sustain planned activities
- Speak little even when forced to interact
- Monopolize conversation
- Appear to ignore other students and normal rules of engagement
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Ability to stand in classroom
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Clarification of classroom rules
- Clarification of questions
- Controlled lighting
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor Notes
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Single room
Asperger Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder
Asperger Syndrome (AS) is a neurobiological disorder; Students who have Asperger Syndrome (AS) or High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have normal to high intelligence but show marked deficits in social skills, hypersensitivity to certain sensory inputs, and may have difficulty with sequencing tasks and general organization both mentally and spatially.
College students who have Asperger Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder (AS / ASD) will appear to be quirky, eccentric, or socially incompetent and possibly very gifted in certain areas. In social interactions, they may not make eye contact, appear to be shy or withdrawn, and respond negatively to physical contact. However, the student may be verbose about a topic of interest and because of a generally low understanding of social cues, fail to acknowledge others' reactions.
Students who have AS/ASD have a tendency to interpret language in a very concrete, literal way. In casual or informal speech this can contribute to a misunderstanding of satire, sarcasm, and other figures of speech. In more formal settings, it can make literary interpretation difficult and they may have difficulty understanding that literature could have more than one valid interpretation.
Because of its high comorbidity rates with anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, other mannerisms or physical and cognitive behaviors might be observed that are, in fact, side-effects of medication used to treat those conditions.
Possible Observations:
- Difficulty in expressing agreement or disagreement appropriately
- May have difficulty transitioning from one task to another
- May make socially inappropriate or abrupt statements
- May exhibit shyness or reluctance for group work
- May have difficulty in maintaining communication
- May not make eye contact
- May be easily distracted by auditory or visual stimuli
- May have sensitivity to light or sound
- May be clumsy with fine motor activities
- May have difficulty multitasking
- May have difficulty with abstract concepts
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Assistive note taking device
- Clarification of classroom rules
- Clarification of questions
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor notes
- Notice of time remaining on exams
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Single room
Substance Abuse Recovery
The substances included in addiction recovery can include alcohol and both legal and illegal drugs. In the case of drug addiction, the student has rights as long as they are not using drugs. There is a recognition in the law that recovering alcoholics may relapse and require additional treatment as a form of accommodation.
Recovery from substance addiction is a lifelong process and as such, there is no time limit on its duration. The causes of addiction are not fully understood, but researchers are exploring the theory that some people have a genetic vulnerability to addiction. Experts also believe that a person's environment, peer pressure, and mental health issues can contribute to the onset of drug or alcohol abuse; after which the positive feelings of the drug and the biochemical reactions result in addiction. It is also common for substance abuse to be a dual diagnosis issue especially in young populations where students use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate another medical or psychological condition.
Possible Observations:
- May be absent more than other students
- Might be easily distractible
- May overreact to stress
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Dietary Accommodations
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Instructor Notes
- Reduced background noise
- SIngle Room
To be added...
Diabetes and Hypoglycemia
Diabetes is a disease in which a student's blood glucose levels are too high or fluctuate between high and low causing difficulty with concentration, fatigue or in extreme cases loss of consciousness. Hypoglycemia is inability of the body to raise blood sugar levels when necessary, sometimes as a side-effect of medication for diabetes.
Students with Type I diabetes are often diagnosed as children. Students with Type I diabetes are unable to produce insulin, which is necessary to convert sugar, starches, and other food into energy necessary for everyday life. Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease, meaning the immune system turns against a part of the body, in this case, the pancreas. These students are reliant on insulin therapy or other treatments to manage their condition.
Students with Type II diabetes are either unable to produce enough insulin or their cells ignore the insulin their bodies produce. Diabetes can cause vision problems, kidney or cardiovascular disease and nerve damage.
Hypoglycemia, though often associated with diabetes and related medications, may also relate to a number of other causes including other diseases and hormone or enzyme deficiencies.
Possible Observations:
- May appear unfocused or non-responsive if blood sugar drops too low
- May need to eat or drink during class to maintain sugar levels
- May need to leave class for a few minutes to check sugar levels or take medication
- May exhibit shaking and sweating if blood sugar drops too low
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Accessible classroom
- Accessible residence
- Dietary accommodation
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Medical Equipment Access
- Personal Care attendant
- Service Animal
- Single room
Migraines and Headaches
Migraines and headaches involve intense pulsing or throbbing pain localized to one part of the head.
Migraine pain is sometimes preceded by visual disturbances called auras; it can be accompanied by light and sound sensitivity, and nausea.
Migraines and headaches are often a chronic problem as opposed to an isolated incident, and many times certain environmental stimuli trigger a migraine headache (e.g. anxiety, lack of food or sleep, hormonal fluctuations).
Experts currently think that migraine headaches are caused by an inherited abnormality of one of the genes that controls brain activity.
Treatments for migraines and headaches include stress management, hormone treatments, medications that prevent the onset of a migraine, and medications that treat the symptoms of a migraine.
Possible Observations:
- Might appear to be in pain or cover their eyes
- May leave the classroom unexpectedly
- Might be absent more frequently than other students
- May have difficulty with very bright or flickering lights.
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Assistive note taking device
- Content not color dependent
- Controlled lighting
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- Eliminate flicker
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- FLexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor Notes
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Simplify visual information
- Single room
Injuries
Students with temporary injuries (e.g. broken bone, restricted movements, concussions, etc.) may experience symptoms that affect their ability to perform to their usual standards within a classroom environment. Students may request accommodations for conditions where the impact is expected to be less than one semester. Temporary injuries are to be expected to resolve within 6 months.
Acquired Brain Injuries include traumatic brain injuries (e.g. motor vehicle accidents, falls) and non-traumatic brain injuries (e.g. due to stroke, tumor, infection, hypoxia, liver disease, toxic chemicals). The term acquired brain injury does not include intellectual disabilities or degenerative diseases.
Traumatic brain injury, a form of acquired brain injury, occurs when the brain sustains sudden traumatic damage. The damage can be confined to a specific area of the brain, or can involve multiple areas of the brain. Brain injury can also be the result of repeated injuries to the brain rather than one traumatic event.
Students with acquired brain injury may experience a variety of symptoms from severe to minor. Symptoms can include headaches, convulsions or seizures, slurred speech, loss of coordination, poor memory, difficulty with word finding, visual tracking issues and physical fatigue. Acquired brain injury that occurs as a result of non-traumatic brain injuries can cause all of the above mentioned systems combined with symptoms that are related to the medical condition.
Spinal cord injuries are typically classified as paraplegia or quadriplegia; however, there are functional abilities and limitations attached to both categories. Students with paraplegia typically experience paralysis of lower extremities and lower trunk but have full movement of arms, shoulders and hands. Students with quadriplegia generally experience paralysis of the lower extremities and limited use of hands but may or may not have use of their arms and shoulders.
Students with spinal cord injuries will generally require the use of mobility aids such as wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Students using mobility aids need sufficient clear space to navigate, accessible ramps, elevators or lifts, tables with enough clearance, and accommodations to reach objects. Spinal cord injuries impact more than just the ability to ambulate; there are other medical issues that must be addressed. Students with spinal cord injuries often have diminished lung capacity and have problems regulating temperature. They are susceptible to heat stroke and may require assistance if overcome by heat.
Possible Observations:
- Difficulty concentrating and maintaining focus
- Difficulty knowing where to begin with a task
- Difficulty categorizing, generalizing, or synthesizing information
- Difficulty remembering all the steps in an activity or assignment
- Difficulty with memory (location of class objects, verbal instructions, information from lecture)
- Exhibits poor impulse control
- Difficulty with spatial relations (maps, geometry, 3D visualizations)
- Easily fatigued or frustrated
- Have balance or motor impairments
- Have vision impairments
- May need assistance in finding a place for their wheelchair
- May have difficulty reaching or handling heavy or cumbersome objects
- May have limited or no use of their hands and/or legs
- May have scheduling conflicts due to having to rely on wheelchair accessible transportation
- May take longer to navigate between places
- May have trouble attending class when snow and ice are not cleared
- Are more susceptible to viruses or infection
Possible Accommodations:
- Ability to leave the classroom
- Accessible classroom
- Accessible residence
- Accessible testing site
- Accessible transportation
- Advance notice to prepare for participation
- Assistive note taking device
- Clarification of questions
- Controlled lighting
- Distraction reduced testing environment
- Eliminate flicker
- Emergency evacuation assistance
- Extended testing time
- Flexibility with assignments
- Flexibility with attendance
- Flexibility within classroom environment
- Instructor notes
- Note Taker
- Personal care attendant
- Priority seating
- Private testing environment
- Reduced background noise
- Room on ground floor
- Scribe
- Service animal
- Single room
- Specialized equipment
- Specialized furniture
- Specialized software