Serving Your Students with Disabilities on Campus and Online

Why Should You Attend:

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 88 percent of all American colleges and universities enroll students with documented disabilities. Without a doubt, due to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal and state legislation, together with vastly improved diagnostic, medication and treatment regimes, students with disabilities represent a large and growing presence on our campuses. This poses new challenges for colleges and universities when it comes to the classroom and the Internet and any related adaptive technologies, and achieving full participation in the college experience for their students with disabilities, both on campus and online.

Effectively utilizing technology has almost become a requisite for success in college. Too often, however, students with disabilities face unintended obstacles when it comes to the Internet and other resources most of us take for granted. Included are questions relating to the availability of necessary adaptive technologies and modifications in traditional instructional methods which allow the student with a disability to benefit from an available technology such as Kurzweil reading, Dragon text to speech, etc. Regardless of the reason, the large and growing population of students with disabilities on our campuses in search of a meaningful educational experience presents evolving challenges that track changes in instructional technology, as well as legal expectations.

A recent commentary in the Chronicle of Higher Education describes the current higher education environment many students with disabilities are facing. “Most people assume technology expands opportunities for students with disabilities. While the potential exists, it can be realized only if technology is designed and coded with equal access in mind. Despite years of public-awareness campaigns, legal challenges, and advocacy efforts, many commonly used technologies built or purchased by colleges—email systems, learning-management systems, library databases, classroom materials—actually do more to prevent students with disabilities from equal participation than paper-based systems ever did.”

Areas Covered in the Webinar:

• An overview of federal disability laws and how they relate to on-campus and online access for your students with disabilities
• The roles of administrators, professional employees, and faculty in serving students with disabilities and accommodating their needs
• Setting the proper balance between communication and confidentiality in your university’s services for students with disabilities
• Determining the appropriate “reasonable accommodation” in ensuring access for your students with disabilities
• The special challenges of online learning and possible responses
• The role of adaptive technologies such as Kurzweil reading and Dragon text to speech in your efforts to accommodate your students with disabilities
• New technologies for sight- and hearing- impaired students
• Rules and best practices regarding service and emotional-support animals
• Testing and other assessment issues
• Model policies and procedures for identifying and accommodating students with disabilities
• Disciplinary, academic integrity, and academic standing issues

Who Will Benefit:

• Professionals who provide services to students with disabilities
• University legal counsel
• IT professionals, web designers
• Faculty who have students with disabilities in their classrooms, labs, etc.
• Residence life, food service, and facilities administrators

Free Materials:

• Reference documents
• Rule documents or guidance
• Checklist
• SOP template
• Easy fill in forms
• Articles

Jim Castagnera
President, K&C Human Resource Enterprises

Jim Castagnera holds an M.A. in Journalism from Kent State University, and a J.D. and Ph.D. (American Studies) from Case Western Reserve University. He practiced law for 36 years, before retiring in June 2019: 10 years as a labor, employment and intellectual-property attorney with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr; 3 years as general counsel for Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates; 23 years as associate provost & legal counsel for academic affairs at Rider University.

Currently, he devotes his full-time to journalism and teaching. He is the president of K&C Human Resource Enterprises, a freelance-writing and training company in Greater Philadelphia; the chief consultant for Holland Media Services, LLC, a freelance-writing and communications company in Los Angeles; and, secretary/treasurer of LMC Conflict Training & Conciliation, a non-profit corporation also located in Greater Philadelphia.

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