Policy statement
“Students with sensory, physical, cognitive, psychiatric, systemic, and learning disabilities may need accommodations for program and physical access. It is the student’s responsibility to contact Disability Services to discuss their individual needs for accommodations and for advising about contact with faculty. Reasonable accommodations may include classroom relocation, note takers, adapted testing and assignments, time extensions, lab assistance, taped lectures and texts, sign language interpreters, tutoring, or early access to syllabus and texts. After contacting Disability Services http://ds.umn.edu/, students should follow up with faculty regarding their needs.” (CLA Classroom Grading & Examination Procedures 2001-2002, pp. 6-7)

Common types of disabilities
Colleges and universities typically serve students with a variety of disability conditions. Some of these conditions are readily apparent, while others are not always visible to an observer.

Common Types of Disabilities:

• Vision Impairments
• Hearing Impairments
• Mobility Impairments
• Systemic Disabilities (conditions affecting one or more of the body’s systems)
• Psychiatric Disabilities
• Learning Disabilities (LD)
• Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Traumatic Brain Injury

How will you know if a student is disabled?
(*Information from Disability Services.)

Disability-related information is treated like medical information: University faculty and staff do not have a right or a need to access diagnostic or other information regarding a student’s disability. They only need to know what accommodations are necessary or appropriate to meet the student’s disability related needs.

Due to this practice, only rarely is there an indication in a student’s record suggesting they have a disability. Advisers and staff will generally know a student is disabled if the student has chosen to self disclose his or her disability or if the student has a visually apparent disability (such as a disability related to sight or mobility).

On the New High School Student “Tell Us About Yourself” form there is a question in the “Other” section which asks if the student would like to discuss a referral to the U of M’s Disability Services office. If the student has answered “Yes,” refer them to the Disability Services and talk to the student about their concerns. Advisers should take these concerns into consideration when discussing course selection with the student.

If a student suggests they may have an undiagnosed learning disability, refer them to Disability Services. To arrange accommodations, students must be tested for a learning disability and consult with the Disability Services office. Students are responsible for the testing costs.

If an adviser or staff member suspects a student has a learning disability, they should not attempt to make a diagnosis. Often, the most appropriate referral is to the University Counseling and Consulting Services. These counselors will be able to help the student with a variety of academic issues including study habits and test anxiety as well as refer the student to Disability Services if necessary. Students may also be referred to the Disability Services office.

Disability Services
Disability Services, 180 McNamara Alumni Center, (612) 626-1333 TTY/voice, is a resource both for students and employees with disabilities and for faculty and staff with questions about disabled student services. Disability Services staff field general questions about disability and provide information and referral, support, and reasonable accommodations (e.g., interpreters, readers, academic aids, adaptive testing, etc.) Their office publishes the guidebook, Access for Students with Disabilities: Policies, Procedures, and Resources.

Learning Disabilities
(Text taken from Disabilities Services Website http://ds.umn.edu/Disabilities/LD.html)
Learning disabilities are neurologically-based conditions that interfere with the acquisition, storage, organization, and use of skills and knowledge. They are identified by deficits in academic functioning and in processing memory, auditory, visual, and linguistic information. The diagnosis of a learning disability in an adult requires documentation of at least average intellectual functioning along with a deficit in one or more of the following areas:

• auditory processing
• visual processing
• information processing speed
• abstract and general reasoning
• memory (long-term, short-term, visual, auditory)
• spoken and written language skills
• reading skills
• mathematical skills
• visual spatial skills
• motor skills
• executive functioning (planning)

Some considerations:
A learning disability is not a disorder that a student “grows out of.” It is a permanent disorder affecting how students with normal or above-average intelligence process incoming information, outgoing information, or both.

Learning disabilities are often inconsistent. They may be manifested in only one specific academic area, such as math or foreign language. There might be problems in grade school, none in high school, and again in college.

If a student believes they might have a learning disability but has not been tested, they should contact Disability Services as soon as possible. In most cases, accommodations cannot be arranged until the disability is diagnosed. This testing does take some time to complete. Generally, the student must bear the expense of the testing.

Students with a diagnosed learning disability should have a sense of what accommodations are necessary and what types of courses are of more concern than others. In some cases, a particular disability might impede a student’s ability to complete a particular University or CLA requirement. In the case of Liberal Education requirements (such as Mathematical Thinking) students should work with Disability Services and The Council on Liberal Education (contact Laurel Carroll, 624-1320 for more information). CLA does have a committee which reviews requests for disability related modifications of the Second Language Requirement, Section 6.2.2.

Impact of Disability on Petitions
If a student petitions to drop a course or courses based on extenuating circumstances related to his or her disability, advisers should review the appropriate information. Generally, verification (which can be confirmation from the Disability Services office) will be required. An extenuating circumstance petition based on a chronic or permanent condition which would interfere with student’s ability to complete one or more courses may be approved on a one-time-only basis. After such a petition, students are expected to make appropriate accommodations. However, a subsequent petition may be approved if it is related to the earlier condition. For example: A student might be diagnosed with depression and request to selectively cancel a portion of their coursework after the eighth week deadline. In a following term the student might have an unexpected reaction to medication which interfered with completion of some of his/her coursework. This would be a valid extenuating circumstance. For requirement waivers/modifications refer to: ComDS for Disability Related Second Language Petitions & Laurell Carroll for LE petitions.

Accessibility of University Buildings
When planning schedules with students with mobility-related disabilities, advisers should note that the maps in the Class Schedule and the Student/Staff Directory do not indicate the accessibility of university buildings. Advisers and students should contact Disability Services for accessibility maps.

Early Registration
In many instances, CLA allows students with disabilities to register for classes before their assigned registration dates (e.g., to allow hearing-impaired students to arrange for interpreters, mobility-impaired students to select sections held in accessible buildings, or print-disabled students to have course materials transferred to Braille or audiotape).

In order for a student to register early they must first contact Disability Services to discuss reasonable accommodations. If they are a New High School or New Advanced Standing student, after contacting disability services, students should then contact Lonna Riedinger in the Student Information Office (49 Johnston Hall, 625-2020). Carol Hondl is the contact for continuing students.

Referrals
Disability Services
http://www.gen.umn.edu/programs/ce/
180 McNamara Alumni Center, (612) 626-1333 TTY/voice

University Counseling and Consulting Services
http://www.ucs.umn.edu/
109 Eddy Hall, 624-3323

Disabled Student Cultural Center (DSCC)
235-1 Coffman Union, 624-2602(V)/624-2997(TTY)

Access Complaints

Disability Services, 180 Gateway, 624-4037(V/TTY)

Complaints about University access should be filed with Disability Services.

Related policies/information
ComDS - Disability Related Second Language Petitions, Section 6.2.2.