Category: collection4

Throughout the readings, I was troubled with what is the extent of undue burden and reasonable accommodations. We all want the same thing, but finding the personnel, funding, and time to make it happen is not as easy to agree upon. We agree we need to be informed. What is the best resource for training to stay current?

About 15 years ago, before the days of multitude of apps, I had a blind student enrolled in a machine transcription course. Much equipment was installed in our computer lab to accommodate her needs. She was able to transcribe the cassette tapes, but unable to format the documents, which was part of the grade for the other students. What should I have done??

My last question, is does UAF have ADA training available that is specific to teachers? I found training for managers, but it was employer-oriented.

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act and who does it protect?

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that was created to prevent discrimination in services, employment, and public services based on disability. There are five main parts, or Titles, in the law:

• Title I covering employment situations
• Title II covering services and programs of state and local governments
• Title III covering public accommodations
• Title IV covering certinatelecommunications services
• Title V covering some miscellaneous provisions

Why are the terms “Title II” and “Section 504″ important to this discussion?

Section 504 established the fundamental civil right on non-discrimination in 1973. With Section 504 Congress recognized “that the inferior social and economic status of people with disabilities was not a consequence of the disability itself, but instead was a result of societal barriers and prejudices.” (http://dredf.org/news/publications/the-history-of-the-ada/) Section 504 also recognized that although there are many types and variations of disabilities, those with disabilities can be viewed as a minority group which may be subject to discrimination and thus in need of civil rights protections. This coalition of categories into a group created solidarity.

Title II concerns state and local governments (called public entities) pubic services, including public transportation. Persons with disabilities are to have access, including physical access, to all public programs offered. It also concerns public transportation, requiring the provision of paratransit services by public entities. In addition, it applies to all state and local public housing. As educators, Title II impacts our delivery of curriculum. Public entities have to provide “auxiliary aids and services.”

QUICK clip of the impact of ADA on individuals today, which unfortunately, does not include captions:

MORE ON THIS TOPIC FROM ME:

What about accommodation?? (jean’s second page)

The ADA, IDEA, and me (jean’s third page)

What is a “reasonable accommodation” and what else are those called in the educational setting?

For us as educators, ‘reasonable accommodations’ means we’ll need to change the way things are usually done. Changes may be made to the environment, the tasks, providing assistive aids, technology, or services.

What might make an accommodation unreasonable?

Unreasonable accommodation is an interesting topic. If I understood it correctly, in Mark Weber’s “Unreasonable Accommodation and Due Hardship” paper, he posits that there is no accommodation that would be unreasonable and no hardship that is undue. He says this duty to accommodate is not subject to a cost-benefits, balance, but a cost-resource balance.  He acknowledges that accommodation may be expensive to satisfy.

Alex Long, in “Is There an Unreasonable Accommodation? Is There a Due Hardship?” discusses other court cases arguing about this topic. Employers definitely need to stay as well informed as possible.

Stephen Sonnenberg brought up some interesting scenarios in his article, “Unreasonable Accomodation” at Workforce.com. Employers don’t want to  ‘play favorites’ with preferential treatment. Instead, “antidiscrimination laws should guarantee disabled individuals an opportunity to compete equally, with or without accommodation. His scenarios are worth reviewing for additional discussion. Sonneberg advocates special consideration, but not preferential treatment.

Jeff Polsky shares ADA accommodations in his slideshare show below. Here is the text from slides 8 and 9 of his slideshow:

Slide 8: Reasonable accommodation/Undue Hardship
“Reasonable accommodation” may include• (A) making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible; and • (B) job restructuring, part–time/ modified work schedules; reassignment to a vacant position; acquiring or modifying equipment; modifying exams, training materials or policies; qualified readers or interpreters; and other similar accommodations

Slide 9: Reasonable accommodation/Undue Hardship
“Undue hardship” means an action requiring significant difficulty or expense, when considered in light of: • the nature and cost of the accommodation; • the facility and the employer’s financial resources and number of employees; and • the effect on operations.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

The ADA, IDEA, and me

back to Exploring the ADA

What is IDEA and who does it protect? How does it differ from the ADA?

IDEA is an education act that gives federal monies to state and local education toward special education and such services for children with disabilities. IDEA protects children ages 3-21 who are deemed eligible for disability services, special education, and related services. Usually these services are referred to as special education and the student will have an IEP, or individualized education program. IDEA provides special education for 13 specific disabilities.  ADA’s 504 plan provides services for children with any disability, including learning or attention issues. ADA prohibits discrimination in the workplace, public services, and accommodations for those with disabilities. ADA protects any individual with a disability that limits life activities.

Understood.org shares an infographic to help outline the differences:

How do ADA, IDEA and other legislation in the readings and your exploration so far apply to you in your working (or future working) life (where might or do you find yourself needing to take ADA, IDEA, etc. into account?)

As a college faculty member, these legislations apply in my interactions with students. Sometimes I have students who have worked with UAF’s disability services and present documentation of their needs. Other times I have referred students to our disability services or have moved them to a seat where they could see or hear better and have shown them tools on their computer to make things larger.  When my student interaction is in an academic advising capacity, I make sure students are aware of available campus resources, such as the assistive technology lab.

As a parent, the IDEA legislation is particularly pertinent: my child may have special needs identified that would indicate the need for special education and an IEP.

IEP Roadmap created by the National Center for Learning Disabilities and hosted by elearninggraphics.com:

In either role, I appreciate sites like theinclusiveclass.com with links such as “The 10 Best Websites for the Inclusive Classroom.”

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