In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, D&A provides accommodations for any student who has a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. (http://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada).
Disability and Access conducts student intakes under 10 major categories, ADHD, Autism, Psychological, Hearing, Learning, Medical, Mobility, Visual, Brain Injuries, and Temporary. While these categories can be helpful with understanding common challenges and access barriers, it is important to keep in mind that students will all have different experiences.
- Students with the same diagnosis may face different access barriers and challenges, while students with different diagnosis may face similar access barriers and challenges
- 57% of D&A students are registered with more than one diagnosis.
Many students registered with Disability and Access have disabilities that are invisible or may not be easily apparent. Since a student’s disability is confidential with Disability and Access, instructors will often not know a student’s diagnosis unless the student makes a choice to disclose.
To learn more about facilitating accessibility in classrooms and course structure see: Creating an Accessible Classroom.
To learn more about supporting students in specific disability categories see: