Kari Perkins

The role of everyone on campus or in an institution when working with people with disabilities is to be respectful, discreet and helpful. This does mean connecting the student with the office designed specifically to help people with disabilities, but it also means not using biases or prejudices when working with students with disabilities. Every student is at a place of higher education for the same reason - to learn and further their goals. Never assume you know what those may be. 

To fulfill the obligations of ADA and 504, there are some requirements that every institution must meet. They must allow for students with disabilities to have equitable access to information and to the chance to be successful at the institution. Luckily, UD and UDL help to create equitable space for those opportunities. One cannot forget that the goal is to create an equitable learning environment to give each student a chance to be successful, not to ensure their success. This will be hard for students leaving the k-12 environment as many were "helped" along to assure the school was in… >>>

Understanding the wide variety of issues facing students in higher education will only improve student success. A student can have a visible or invisible diagnosis and each and every one requires individual planning. Building those relationships and letting the students know what resources are available should be something everyone on a campus is willing to do. In higher education it is the students responsibility to seek the help they need and to make sure the campus is aware of what is going on. However; many times they are unaware that those options exist or they fear the stigma that can… >>>

It is about equity not equality. Giving people with seen and unseen disabilities the opportunity to perform on an equitable field. However, outside of the k-12 education system, people with disabilities must advocate for themselves. This can be overwhelming as most have never had to do that. It will also be difficult for those coming from the k-12 system that were not held to the same standards of behavior or excellence from some institutions. (Wrong, I know, but it happens.) As instructors and staff of higher education institutions we must help them navigate the system to ensure their equity. in… >>>