U-ACCESS: DISABILITY AWARENESS NEWSLETTER
Autumn 2009
Understanding the Transition from K-12 grade to Post Secondary Education
The laws affecting post-secondary students with disabilities are completely different from the K-12 world. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that applies to K-12 is not in effect in higher education. Colleges and universities have no legal responsibility to identify students with disabilities or involve parents in decision making. Students are responsible for self-identifying to a college or university for modifications or adjustments in the classroom. Students at the University should know and understand what they need to do in order to request and, possibly receive accommodations.
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html
Increasing Trend of Students with Psychiatric Disorders Requesting Accommodations
Recently, universities have been receiving more and more requests from students seeking reasonable accommodations for psychological disorders — a disability that often goes unnoticed and unspoken in academic settings. The reason for the increase is two-fold. First, diagnostic criteria have expanded so that the term “psychiatric disability” represents a much broader range of disorders and syndromes. Second, the ADA Amendments Act of 2009 has eliminated mitigating measures in determining reasonable accommodations for students. For a better understanding how this new trend is affecting higher education, please read these sources below.
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1688
Take Advantage of the Student Counseling and Resource Center (SCRS)
The academic rigor at the University may produce stressors for students. Many students who have sought counseling have found that simply having a space and opportunity to sharing one’s challenges with a counselor helps relieve stress. Other strategies of counseling include having a support person, learning effective stress management techniques, and acquiring coping mechanisms. SCRS offers many services that are listed on their website has to offer, visit the site below.
http://counseling.uchicago.edu/
Accessibility on Campus
The campus continues to undergo major quadrangle improvement. While this is in progress there will be traffic interruptions and construction. During this time, accessible routes will change. Plan ahead so that you are aware of which routes are available. To get The University’s most up-to-date information on construction and transportation options, visit frequently.
http://facilities.uchicago.edu/transpparking/transportation/index.shtml
http://maps.uchicago.edu/campus.shtml
