The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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Leveling the Educational Playing Field for Students with Invisible Disabilities

The endless tests and mountains of homework are a struggle for any college student, but for those with invisible disabilities, they can be a nightmare.

Invisible disabilities — anything from ADHD to bipolar disorder to chronic pain — are the most common form of disability on college campuses, according to the nonprofit advocacy group, Lime Connect. Without easy access to accommodations like extended exam times and lenient deadlines, academic life for students like Ariel Herbert-Voss, a senior in computer science and applied mathematics, can become increasingly difficult.

Herbert-Voss has an arrangement for her severe learning disability that allows her extra time on exams and assignments if she speaks to her professors. This is the most common academic adjustment the U offers, but Herbert-Voss said it wasn’t easy to get.

“It required a lot of time, energy and paperwork,” she said. “It took me a few semesters and a failed course to figure out what I needed. It’s been tricky because the process of approval for updates often takes a long enough time that the first round of exams had already come and gone.”

It took a full year for Herbert-Voss to work her way through the full requirements and then an additional disability diagnosis, which consisted of multiple lengthy tests.

According to a 2013 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 11 percent of undergraduates across the U.S. reported a disability. In addition, these students are twice as likely to drop out, as stated by the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition.

Chris Burningham, disabilities advisor for the Center for Disability Services, said the U ranks below the average with between four and five percent of students registering with his office.

Through the AccessComputing team, the Lime Connect ambassadors program and the Google Scholars program, Herbert-Voss has met and conducted outreach for other students with disabilities in computer science.

“I’ve come across many cases in which students have a difficult time adjusting to college accommodations and end up dropping out because it becomes too much of a barrier to success,” Herbert-Voss said.

To continue receiving accommodations, Herbert-Voss and the 1,300 students who annually registered at the U’s Center for Disability Services meet with an advisor multiple times a semester to receive help.

To begin the process, the student is required to meet with an advisor and fill out application forms, submit official documentation from their doctor, therapist or psychologist, and wait for a case management team at the center to decide if they’re eligible or not. If a student doesn’t have access to these forms, they can go to the University Counseling Center and Student Health Center for the required testing and certification.

Burningham said while he thinks testing can be a barrier, he believes it will help students in the long run. Disability Services can provide leniency in proof — such as a semester-long temporary accommodation — but invisible disabilities like ADHD require extensive documentation.

Burningham said services to students have increased since the 2008 ADA Amendment Act (ADAAA), which expanded the list of impairments to include issues in concentration and memory difficulties. Since then, the U has also relaxed its guidelines to give temporary accommodations for students who have impairments like broken legs.

Cost is not a factor, as schools are required by law to provide whatever is reasonable and appropriate. For example, Burningham said if a student needed a math textbook converted into braille, which can cost upwards of $20,000, the university is required by law to provide it.

The funding for these services comes through Student Affairs and are allotted depending on the range of services needed.

Beyond working with Disability Services, Herbert-Voss said getting teachers to comply is an additional roadblock. While many of her professors have been willing to work with her, she’s argued with a few over extended exam times, all of which she was eventually able to resolve.

Burningham said the best way to help students avoid those kinds of conflicts is through educating professors on their responsibilities. He said while it’s rare for a faculty member to flat-out refuse an accommodation, newer and visiting teachers may need instruction on what they are legally obligated to provide to students.

While it’s illegal for a professor to refuse an accommodation based on ability, they can express concern over the change required. In those scenarios, the center will rework a reasonable solution for all parties.

“Say a student has a learning disability in mathematics, but they want to be an engineer,” Burningham said. “It would not be considered reasonable to change the requirements for the engineering program. It’s more about what’s appropriate … what provides equal access.”

Krista Pickens, director for the U’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, said if a professor denied a reasonable accommodation granted by the center, the student could file a discrimination complaint with her office. It would spark an investigation that could lead to a suspension and even the loss of the faculty member’s job.

All barriers aside, Herbert-Voss said one of the biggest challenges was learning to advocate on her own behalf. She said she thinks the U should educate students on self-advocacy for what accommodations work for them in focus groups and workshops.

“I don’t usually bring up my accommodations to other students unless it’s relevant to a conversation … because some people have the impression that it’s an easy way to do better in class,” Herbert-Voss said. “Accommodations like mine are meant to level the playing field, not give me a leg up over the competition.”

[email protected]

@EhmannKy

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