Professional Development Strategies to Promote Equal

Opportunity for Students with Disabilities

Phillip RumrillClis Stauffer

Linnea Carlson

Kent State University

Trends in Higher Education and Disability

Enrollment rates triple since 1978 7% of American students have documented

disabilities Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Titles II & III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Services and supports rapidly expanding Increased federal funding Increased number of employees with

disabilities

Postsecondary Students with Disabilities… Have slightly lower academic

performance than non-disabled students Drop out at higher rates Take longer to complete their degrees Report fewer friends on campus and less

social capital Believe that faculty and administrators

are accepting of their needs but lack specific knowledge of disability issues

Concerns of Students with Disabilities Funding Independent

living/Housing Choosing a major Social relationships Reactions of other

students/Reactions of instructors

Transportation Physical accessibility

Asking for help Internships/Co-ops Access to technology Access to health care Employment after

graduation

Employment and a College Education College graduates have $1,000,000

greater lifetime earning potential than those who never attended college

A college graduate with a disability is 4-6 times more likely to be employed than a person with a disability who never attended college

College graduates with disabilities are 8 to 12 times more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled college graduates

Faculty & Administrator Concerns Information regarding

disabling conditions Disability etiquette Responsibility to

provide accommodations

Equity of accommodations

Academic integrity/adherence to standards

Students with psychiatric disabilities

Resources – on and off campus

Legal liability Technical

assistance/use of technology

Faculty & Administrators’ Questions Regarding Students with Disabilities

Who are they and what are their needs?

Technical assistance, services, and resources?

Disability issues in a broader societal context?

Overview of the Access to Quality Higher Education Project

Faculty & Administrator Mentoring Program

Distinguished Lecture Series on Universal Design for Instruction

Faculty & Administrator Professional Development Institute

Faculty & Administrator Learning Community on Disability Issues

Classroom Accommodation Network Employability Day

Faculty & Administrator Mentoring Program

College students with disabilities are paired with university faculty & administrators in their areas of concentration for mutually beneficial discussion

Two semi-structured meetings provide an introduction to the program and its purpose

Faculty & Administrator Mentoring Program Topics

Academic advisement Career exploration and planning Professional networking Classroom accommodations Disability resources on and off

campus Internship/Externship/Co-op

opportunities

Faculty & Administrator Mentoring Program Topics (cont.)

Mutual research and/or professional interests

Professional associations, especially student organizations

Graduate school Jobs after graduation Other areas of interest or concern

Distinguished Lecture Series: Universal Design for Instruction (UDI)

Bring one national leader in UDI to the Kent State University campus each year

One day workshop for 75-100 faculty members, administrators, student disability service staff members, and students with disabilities

Apply UDI principles to specific course content and assignments

Professional Development Institute (PDI)

Conducted for one week during the summer with 20 university faculty and administrators

Invited speakers lead open discussions on the following issues:

PDI Topics Faculty, administrator and student

perspectives Our (KSU) population Student disability services and

accommodation process Vignettes of issues in higher education Broad issues of disability and culture Abilities and accommodations Universal design Effective teaching

PDI Topics (cont.)

Media portrayals of people with disabilities

Panel of effective and experienced faculty

Evolution of disability rights movement

Legal issues and the ADA Technology

Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on Disability Issues The FLC is composed of faculty, administrators,

staff, undergraduate and graduate students Improve awareness of how to facilitate a

positive transition to higher education for students with disabilities

Increase members’ self-efficacy in implementing classroom accommodations and using assistive technology

Equip faculty members with a repertoire of Universal Design for Instruction techniques

Involve members in enhancing career preparation of students with disabilities while they are in school

Classroom Accommodation Network (CAN)

Respond to queries from higher education faculty and administrators regarding students with disabilities

Deliver technical assistance on matters of classroom accommodation: 1-888-677-5009 www.classaccommodation.org

Employability Day Program Youth with disabilities are less likely than their

non-disabled peers to engage in part-time jobs after school or summers

They under-explore their career opportunities while in high school and college

Students with disabilities are over-represented in jobs whose requirements fall below their qualifications, jobs unrelated to their degree, and temporary and part-time jobs

Students with disabilities may need assistance convincing themselves that employment and career success are viable and realistic goals

Employability Day Program (cont.) Bring faculty, staff, and community

members together for career-related interventions Employment Laws and Policies Self-Advocacy Training Mentoring from Faculty Members and

Business Leaders Job-Seeking Skills and Interview Skills

Training

Employability Day Strategy

Accommodations Planning Team (APT) Seminar

APT Format

Team Format Student with a disability Employer in area of interest Rehabilitation professional Technology specialist 6 to 8 teams total

Employability Day Objective

Jump start job seeking planning Reason: 66% unemployment rate Majority want to work Stubborn statistic for over 30 years

APT Sequence Step 1: Identify congruent job options Step 2: Strengthen job interview skills Step 3: Identify barriers to

productivity and feasible accommodations

Step 4: Understand protections and provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Step 5: Organize the job search

Thank you.

Questions?