Learning about specific types of disabilities
and chronic health conditions
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Knowing a student's disability or health condition can help you understand their accommodations and needs. But remember a few very important things:
1. Every student is unique, so reading for general information is fine, but don't be surprised if students don't fit neatly into diagnostic criteria or generalized descriptions. 2. Don't guess what a student's disability diagnosis may be. For example, a student may seem autistic but actually have post-traumatic stress disorder. A student who is constantly glancing around the room may have ADHD, or they may be hard-of-hearing and trying to catch information with different people speaking. And students may have multiple disabilities, as well. 3. Don't assume students are faking. For example, with some physical conditions, a student may be able to walk easily but then need a wheelchair the next day. If you are concerned about a student faking or getting unreasonable accommodations, contact the disability services providers on your campus and discuss it with them. Sometimes students do try to game the system, but this is not common. In most cases, students have fought hard to get services, get the right diagnosis, or understand what they need. They may have to prove they're disabled over and over again, and many will try to look "normal" as possible because of stigma about disabilities (even if can backfire and make things worse). And remember that students may need to experiment with accommodations before figuring out what works for them in different types of courses or as their disabilities progress over time. It's better to try out accommodations in college with supportive professors and professionals, instead of waiting and figuring it out in the workplace. Your understanding, support, and patience can literally change students' lives. |
Resources
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) funded by the U.S. Department of Labor. The information is for employers, but is applicable to schools. Like this faculty training, you can also see "functional limitations" (i.e., how the disability may impact a student's or employee's ability to perform certain tasks. JAN inspired the organization of this module.
The Mayo Health Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins are a few sources of reliable information about different health conditions, reviewed by doctors and updated regularly.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) have information about mental health conditions and substance abuse (addiction is not a "disability" under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but many people in recovery are dealing with lifelong mental or physical effects of addiction).
The NCCSD has a list of organizations around the country that work with college students who have disabilities. Most of these are focused on serving students with a particular type of disability.
The NCCSD also a list of national crisis resources. This includes crisis resources for natural disasters and hotlines for people with specific types of disabilities.
