A Guide for Faculty and Staff Working with Students with Disabilities
Section III: Disability Types
Twenty years ago, having a “disability” brought to mind a person in a wheelchair or someone who was blind or deaf. In the past two decades, with improved diagnostic techniques, education, and treatment, individuals with “hidden” disabilities far exceed those with visible disabilities in post-secondary education. On the UW Madison campus, the disability distribution is represented below:
As the face of disability changes, so does the response of our campus to students with disabilities. Areas that received particular attention in the past (e.g., retrofitting buildings with ramps, elevators and Braille signage) have given way to front-end accessible architectural design (e.g., the Kohl Center), growth in accessible electronic technology and access to materials in alternative formats such as CD-Rom, web-based learning and text to digital conversion. Education is borrowing from the field of architecture to develop classroom experiences that are universally accessible to both individuals with disabilities as well as other members of the campus community. Just as ramps assist more than just the intended user (people in wheelchairs), so can instructional modifications permit individuals with a variety of learning preferences to participate more fully in the educational process.
Learning disabilities (LD) are the most common type of disability nationally. Students with LD represent the largest group of students with disabilities in post-secondary education. A learning disability is heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. As a central nervous system dysfunction, LD does not respond to medication, dietary changes or other medical interventions; however, specialized instructional programs in reading, writing and math as well as appropriate accommodations permit many individuals with LD to achieve academic success in keeping with their average or higher cognitive ability. Students with LD are increasingly completing undergraduate degrees and pursuing graduate and professional education.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a condition that can affect children and adults who consistently display certain characteristic behaviors over a period of time. Core features of AD/HD include distractibility/inattentiveness (poor sustained attention to tasks), impulsivity (impaired impulse control and delay of gratification) and/or hyperactivity (excessive activity and physical restlessness). In order to meet diagnostic criteria, these behaviors together or separately, must be excessive, long-term, and pervasive, appearing in childhood and continuing for at least 6 months. A crucial consideration is that the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person's life, such as school, home, work, or social settings. These criteria set AD/HD apart from the "normal" distractibility and impulsive behavior of childhood, or the effects of the hectic and overstressed lifestyle prevalent in our society.
Psychological or mental health disorders range from mild depression to chronic disorders such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Students with mental health disorders may be more susceptible to the common stresses of college life involving academic demands as well as interpersonal relationships and living alone or away from home for the first time. Students may have particular problems receiving, processing, and recalling information during times of stress. Side effects from medication may also impact attention, memory, alertness, and activity level. The episodic and unpredictable onset and recurrence of illness can also interrupt learning. Treatment may include medication, counseling, and behavioral therapy. Students may need to schedule time for therapy and/or supportive services. Negative stereotypes about these typically "invisible" disorders may complicate the provision of appropriate accommodations for many students.
Many medical conditions and subsequent health disorders can have a temporary or chronic impact on a student's academic performance. Included are arthritis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, asthma, AIDS, and heart disease. When the condition is neurological in nature, health impairments may affect learning. Likewise, the secondary effects of illness (e.g., chronic pain, sleep disturbances, etc.) and medication side effects can have a significant impact on memory, attention, strength, endurance, and energy levels. Health impairments can result in a range of academic challenges including missed classes for unpredictable and prolonged time periods or difficulties attending classes full-time or on a daily basis.
Orthopedic or neuromuscular impairments impact mobility. These include but are not limited to amputation, paralysis, cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, and spinal cord injury. Mobility impairments range from lower body impairments, which may require use of canes, walkers, or wheelchairs, to upper body impairments that may include limited or no use of the upper extremities and hands. Mobility impairments can impact students in several ways. It may take longer to get from one class to another, enter buildings, or maneuver in small spaces. In some cases physical barriers may inhibit entry into a building or classroom. It may also be difficult to get to fieldwork sites without accessible transportation. Mobility impairments may interfere with a student's ability to manipulate objects, turn pages, write, use a keyboard, or retrieve research materials. Arthritis or repetitive stress injuries can affect fine motor abilities and decrease endurance for longer assignments. A student's physical ability may also vary from day to day.
Visual impairments can be classified into two types: low vision and blindness. Low vision refers to students who have some usable vision, but cannot read standard-size text, have field deficits (e.g., cannot see peripherally or centrally but can see well in other ranges), or other visual impairments. Learning via a visual medium takes longer and may be more fatiguing for people who have low vision. Some people with low vision may be able to read enlarged print for a long time period, while others may only be able to tolerate reading for a short time. Blindness is characterized by the inability to see even when material is enlarged. Individuals who are blind rely on alternative media for print access. This may include readers, or audio-taped material or digitally produced material read via specialized computer software.
The term "hearing impairment" refers to functional hearing loss that ranges from mild to profound. Often, people who have no functional hearing refer to themselves as "deaf." Those with milder hearing loss refer to themselves as "hard of hearing (HoH)." Accommodations for students with hearing impairments can be classified as visual and aural. Examples of visual accommodations include sign language interpreters, lip reading, and captioning. Examples of aural accommodations include amplification devices such as FM systems. Some students who are HoH may hear only specific frequencies or sounds within a certain volume range. They may rely heavily upon hearing aids and lip reading. Some HoH students may never learn, or only occasionally use, sign language. Such students may have a speech impairment due to the inability to hear their own voice clearly.
A student who is deaf may have little or no speech depending on the severity of the hearing loss and the age of onset. Communication often occurs through a sign language interpreter. American Sign Language (ASL) is widely used and has its own grammar and word order. Other students may use manual English (or signed English), which is sign language in English word order. A certified interpreter is used for translation into either language. A student who is deaf may also benefit from real-time captioning, where spoken text is typed and projected onto a screen.
Disability information adapted from The Faculty Room, University of Washington. http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/