"Accommodations are Individually Assessed -Let's Talk"
When one of us has a problem or issue to resolve, we want to be individually acknowledged and assessed. We don’t care about how it was handled with so and so, we’re different. When a case goes to the courts regarding disability discrimination, the courts are going to ask if the situation was individually assessed. It doesn’t matter if the end result turned out to be fair and reasonable. HT has not done its part unless each student situation and request has been individually assessed, because how could we know it was reasonable without that assessment? The assessment doesn’t trump a good policy or essential requirements, but it does allow us to measure the request against our policies or a course’s essential requirements.
I’ve adopted a mantra from a colleague, Richard Harris, that you may have seen around the campus on bulletin boards: “Nothing to you, about you, or for you, without you.” Without the student, the Office of Disability can not assist the student. To register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS), the student must self-identify. Secondly, he or she must provide documentation of the disabling condition by a qualified professional. Finally, I do an intake with the student, where we determine together what accommodations are needed and are appropriate. The individual assessment does not stop here, because faculty and administrative participation may be needed as well, but the accommodation process should not happen without that intake.
Of course, it’s important to have a good overview of disabilities, the law, and best practices for accommodations. It’s fairly easy to get such an overview of any disability by doing a quick search on the internet. There are plenty of sites to discuss disability services in higher education for disability offices, students, and faculty. Here’s a link from DO-IT:
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Disability/.
The page discusses types of disabilities on campuses and how a general understanding of what’s typical can help with the strategies employed to accommodate students.
For about 30 years now, I’ve worked with people, primarily those with disabilities. My first job was at summer camp for people with disabilities of all ages. I’ve worked as a teacher, a case manager, a wilderness counselor, a personal attendant and a ropes instructor. I’ve worked at schools and camps, in homes and for community agencies, with a wide variety of populations. In any context, however, I believe that the most crucial step in the process of serving people effectively and with integrity involves the participation of the individual in the process.
I’ve learned along the way that each person has a life that was happening before I entered the picture and will continue after I move on. Each has a story that’s unique, no matter how many common characteristics are shared with others. Each knows his or her story better than I do, or their documentation can tell me. The person needs to be the primary source from which assistance flows, and by allowing each the chance to give his or her personal history, express concerns, and define motivation, we’re acknowledging the value of the person.
Also, people have great insights into what works for them, what doesn’t, what are their strengths, and what they struggle with. It doesn’t mean the person always knows best or what is appropriate, but it does mean that without his or her input, we won’t either. Every person and every request needs to be individually assessed, so that I can make sure that I’m serving our students appropriately, as the law demands. Sometimes, I do have students who can’t or won’t participate much in the intake assessment, but even that tells me something about how to proceed to best serve the student.
So if you ask me, what are the appropriate accommodations for my Bi-polar condition (or ADHD, or learning disability in reading, etc.), I’m not trying to be sly when I say it depends, accommodations are individually assessed. Let’s talk.
Good luck with finals.
James Tyson