Talking Stick - July/August 2017 - 62

As was true when
World War II brought
a previously unserved
population of individuals with disabilities to
college and university
campuses - mobilityimpaired veterans - the
wars in Iran and Afghanistan have been
instrumental in expanding the population of
students with disabilities
currently enrolling in
college. A great number
of veterans have been
Attendees learn some dance moves at Syracuse University's
inclusive athletics expo.
returning from war with
traumatic brain injuries
PHOtO By DisaBility CultuRal CenteR at syRaCuse uniVeRsity
(TBI) and posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD),
ADAAA in 2008, with an implemenalong with other disabilities. Colleges
tation date of 2009.
for the most part have not been well
Recently, the Fair Housing Act and
prepared to address the needs of these
the Information and Communicastudents. Greater collaboration with the
tion Technology (ICT) refresh, which
military and with veterans' services ofcombines Section 508 of the Rehabilitafices on college campuses is important
tion Act and Section 255 of the Comto assist these veterans in re-acclimatmunications Act, provided additional
ing to society and securing employment
guidance on protections and access
after graduation. Another population
for people with disabilities. In 2011,
of students with disabilities who are atthe U.S. Department of Housing and
tending college in greater numbers are
Urban Development (HUD) noted that
those who are on the autism spectrum.
"disabled individuals may request a reaStudents with autism spectrum disorsonable accommodation for assistance
ders (ASD) require a much more strucanimals in addition to dogs, including
tured support system to successfully
emotional support animals, under
complete higher education than many
the Fair Housing Act or Section 504.
colleges are currently providing. College
In situations where both laws apply,
programs for students with intellectual
housing providers must meet . . . the
disabilities are also starting to appear
broader standard" (HUD, 2011, Para. 1).
on some campuses and offer higher
This decision expanded the protections
education institutions the opportunity
for people with disabilities, particularly
to include intellectual diversity in the
psychiatric disabilities, in residential setcommunity. Efforts to assist students
tings. The ITC Refresh final rule, issued
with disabilities on campus have grown
in January 2017, embraces the WCAG
over the years as we see students with a
(Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
wider range of abilities pursuing higher
2.0 AA as the accessibility standard for
education.
information and communication technology and will require various agencies
Talking Stick: The book outlines
to update their web and web-accessible
various student populations. Within
materials to be in compliance as early
these populations, who is being served
as January 2018. Increased accessibility
and who is not?
to web-based educational materials will
Each campus is unique; some colleges
be of great assistance to students with
and universities are doing a wonderful
learning-based disabilities.
62

talking stiCk

job of taking an intersectional approach
to supporting students, while for others this is an area for improvement.
In general, we would really encourage
Talking Stick readers to consider transfer students as a population of importance on their campuses. National data
show that an overwhelming majority
of students with disabilities start their
academic careers at two-year colleges,
and thus a greater number will experience the transfer process if continuing
on to earn a four-year degree. However, the research on experiences of
transfer students with disabilities and
institutional programs or policies that
support the transfer process is very
limited. Campus housing is one area
where institutions have an opportunity
to support transfer students, and this
is a great topic for readers contemplating program assessment or possible
dissertation research. Additionally,
students of size and undocumented
students are two populations that
people typically do not consider when
they think of disability and multiple
forms of identity.
Talking Stick: When you talk about how
campuses can set themselves up for
success and "do it right" for students,
what campuses come to mind that
have accomplished this? For example,
what campuses have effectively used
universal design? What campuses
come to mind when you think about
an institution with excellent disability
resources and a staff that supports
student success?
There is not a clear frontrunner in this
area, as every campus has staffing,
financial, physical, and programmatic
barriers to serving their population
of students with disabilities. Additionally, some campuses may be well
adapted for students with a particular
type of disability (e.g., physical) but
lack resources for students with other
types of disabilities. However, there are
some campuses that deserve attention
because of the strong work they are doing in this area or because of particular
initiatives they have implemented.

Talking Stick - July/August 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - July/August 2017