Support Resources for Students With Disabilities

What is it?
ADHD is a brain disorder that expresses itself in a constant pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity. People with ADHD often have difficulty completing tasks, concentrating, controlling impulses, planning, listening, and engaging in sedentary tasks.

How does ADHD impact a student's college education?
According to extensive research, anywhere between two and 12 percent of college students exhibit symptoms of ADHD. With completely new surroundings, college students with ADHD find it difficult to focus, which can lead to low motivation, lack of organization, and forgetfulness, all of which can negatively affect academic performance.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• Attention Deficit Disorder Association: ADDA is one of the leading adult ADHD organization in the world. The nonprofit focuses on helping adults with ADHD, including college students, live better lives.
• ADDitude: ADDitude is a print and online magazine that provides strategies and support for students with ADHD and other learning disabilities.
• CHADD: This organization provides resources, including an annual conference, for people with ADHD.
• National Resource Center: This CDC-funded program, which is also a part of CHADD, provides the latest science-based information on ADHD.
• Totally ADD: Totally ADD is dedicated to helping adults with ADHD, as well as their families, employers, and health care professionals. One of its founders, well-known Canadian comedian Rick Green, uses humor to describe his own challenges with having ADD.

What is it?
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, impacts the nervous system. Depending on the severity, autism results in symptoms such as difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors.

How does autism impact a student's college education?
The autism spectrum covers a wide span of behaviors, including misreading social cues, experiencing stress in group environments, and sensory distractions. Notably, some people with autism also often exhibit distinctive strengths that can be beneficial in educational settings, such as "out of the box" thinking, keen visual-spatial skills, and strong attention to detail. Autism symptoms range from mild to severe; college students with autism tend to be on the less affected end of the spectrum.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• Autism Research Institute: This organization meets the needs of the global autism community through research, networking, education and support.
• Autism NOW: A national resource where people with autism can find materials, information, and other helpful resources on how to manage autism in the workplace and the community.
• Autism Society: A grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with autism by increasing awareness, advocating for necessary services, and providing the latest information on treatment, research, and education.
• Navigating College: A Project of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: Offered by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, this guide is a step-by-step look at college life for those with autism.

What is it?
People with blindness or low vision experience varying degrees of sight loss, even with glasses or contact lenses. Total blindness is the complete inability to see; legally blind refers to anyone who cannot read letters on the 20/100 line on the Bailey-Lovie chart; and low vision is defined as anyone with visual acuity of 20/70 or worse as well as those with light, glare, contrast, or light/dark adaptation sensitivities.

How do visual impairments affect a student's college education?
College students with visual impairments and blindness have difficult taking lecture notes, taking exams, and reading texts. Getting around campus may also be problematic, especially when the physical environment is unfamiliar.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• American Council of the Blind: This organization advocates for people with visual impairments by working for state and national policy changes and improvements.
• American Foundation for the Blind: The AFB is a national nonprofit organization that provides programs, services and information for people with vision loss. It works on equal access issues and encourages the development of new assistive technologies.
• National Association of Blind Students: This division of the National Federation of the Blind offers resources for students with visual disabilities.
• National Federation of the Blind-Students: The NFB advocates for those with visual impairments by promoting the adoption and use of emerging technologies for the blind.

What is it?
According to the CDC, people who are deaf cannot hear well enough to process speech and language. People who are hard of hearing have mild to moderate hearing loss and are usually able to process speech and language with the help of hearing aids or similar listening devices.

How does hearing loss affect a student's college education?
A significant portion of learning is achieved aurally, which means many students with hearing impairments have experiential and language deficiencies that can affect their overall academic performance.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: ASHA members include those from speech-language and hearing professions, scientists, and researchers. A section of the site is dedicated to students.
• Better Hearing Institute: The Better Hearing Institute offers advice and information for those with hearing loss, including topics such as technology and treatments.
• Hearing Loss Association of America: HLAA assists those with hearing loss and their families by raising public awareness and reducing the stigma associated with the disability.
• National Association of the Deaf: As the largest advocate for the deaf and hearing impaired in the U.S., NAD provides legal assistance and daily living resources for the deaf population.

What are they?
Learning disabilities are disorders that make it difficult to process information and develop basic reading, writing or math skills. Common learning disabilities include:

• Dyscalculia: Severe difficulty making math calculations.
• Dysgraphia: Inability to write coherently.
• Dyslexia: Difficulty learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols.

How do learning disabilities affect a student's college education?
There are several types of learning disabilities, but people usually have a learning disability in a particular area such as reading or math. College students with learning disabilities, who are encountering more advanced academic work than they had in high school, and with less one-on-one assistance, may have problems understanding and keeping up with coursework.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• Council for Learning Disabilities: CLD is an international organization of professionals working to enhance education and quality of life for those with learning disabilities.
• Dyspraxia (DCD) in Further and Higher Education: The Dyspraxia Foundation provides advice for college students with dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder), which often coexists with dyslexia.
• LD Online: This site, sponsored by the public television station WETA in Washington, D.C., offers information and advice to people with learning disabilities.
• National Center for Learning Disabilities: This advocacy group seeks to improve education and work for equal rights and opportunities for those with learning disabilities.

What are they?
A physical disability affects a person's mobility or dexterity. Examples include various degrees of paralysis such as:

• Multiple sclerosis: A chronic disease that damages the nerves.
• Cerebral palsy: A congenital disorder that affects movement, posture, and muscle tone.
• Muscular dystrophy: A group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.

How do physical disabilities affect a student's college education?
Students with physical disabilities must manage a wide range of academic and social issues. For instance, navigating campus in a wheelchair or with a cane may mean needing to take circuitous routes that can result in being late for class. Being unable to sit at a standard desk can mean having to stand or sit without one. Peers may also be uncomfortable around students with physical disabilities, making group projects and communication challenging.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• American Association on Health and Disability: AAHD provides a wide range of resources for those with disabilities, including the Disability and Health Journal, fact sheets, and links to resources.
• Disabled Sports USA: Students with physical disabilities can participate in sports-based programs designed to foster independence and improve fitness.
• National Organization on Disability: NOD partners with businesses to improve employment opportunities for people with physical abilities.
• The American Association of People with Disabilities: AAPD works to advance the rights and opportunities of people with physical disabilities by raising political awareness, promoting economic opportunities, and encouraging independent living.

What are they?
People with speech disorders may have trouble with their voices or with the ability to produce speech correctly or fluently. Examples of speech disorders include stuttering; apraxia, in which the transmission of brain signals to the mouth is disrupted; and dysarthria, which involves difficulty moving the lips, tongue, vocal cords or diaphragm.

How do speech disorders affect a student's college education?
In many cases, the most difficult challenge for a student with a speech disorder is overcoming social anxiety when speaking, especially in the classroom in front of peers. College students are often required to speak around people who are unfamiliar to them, posing additional hurdles for those with speech disorders. Many students may be reluctant to speak at all; they may need support and encouragement to participate in class.

Resources for Support and Advocacy

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: This member organization for speech, language, and hearing professionals works to support scientific research in the field and to set and maintain standards of practice.
• National Stuttering Foundation: A self-help group for people who stutter, NSA provides support and information through a variety of programs and services.
• The Aphasia Hope Foundation: Since 1997, AHF has provided resources such as news, information, and therapies for families of those with aphasia to promote access to treatment and good quality of life.
• Dysphagia Research Society: DRS is a member-based community that promotes research and awareness of dysphagia, with a focus on the science of swallowing.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a piece of federal disability rights legislation. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) oversees the implementation of Section 504 under the U.S. Department of Education. Under section 504, any organization that receives federal funding—such as an academic institution—is legally obligated to provide equal benefits, services, and opportunities to disabled students, including equal access to classrooms and living accommodations.

Section 504 covers anyone with a physical or mental condition that substantially restricts one or more major life activities.

Postsecondary academic institutions that do not receive federal funding are exempt from complying with Section 504. However, in most cases students attending these academic institutions are still covered by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

College students must disclose their disability status in order to receive academic accommodations and assistive services, such as priority class registration, access to note-takers and interpreters, or the use of speech-to-text software.