A Guide to Disability and Program Planning

	A Guide to Disability and Program Planning Office of Disability Services Barnard College With the belief that environment shapes disability -- and disability shapes environment -- the following suggestions are offered to assist students with disabilities in selecting courses that will be disability-friendly. As always, the first step is in understanding your disability-related needs in the classroom and beyond, what accommodations have been helpful to you in the past, and which accommodations would be appropriate and reasonable for the coursework you and your adviser have selected.
	1. Obtain an advance copy of the course syllabus. This will give you an idea about the potential reading load and grade indicators such as papers, tests and attendance requirements. In addition, an advance syllabus can be crucial for students who may use assistive technology or alternate text formats such as books on tape through RFB&D (Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic).
	2. Try to find a balance of classes based on your disability-related needs. For example, if you have an LD which includes visual processing problems, select a mix of moderate and lighter reading classes so as not to be overwhelmed.
	3. Since one of the essential issues for almost all disability categories is the issue of time, think about your own personal body-clock. Are you a morning person vs. an evening person? If you have a chronic illness, are your pain levels greater at different times of the day? Do you need to schedule on or off-campus clinician appointments? Are you in a support group that has a regular meeting time?
	4. Meet and talk with potential professors in advance of the coming semester in order to discuss potential accommodations and whether they would be permitted.
	5. Remember that less is more. Think about how many points are reasonable for you -- and try to be realistic about how much you can handle. Review your previous semester/s and what you have learned about your disability-related needs.
	6. The shopping around period for classes can present both opportunities and challenges for students with disabilities, depending on your particular disability. Although shopping for classes during the first two weeks of the term can offer you additional course alternatives, getting behind during the first part of the semester can also cause stress and anxiety.
	7. Always review course attendance requirements in advance -- especially if you have a chronic illness and anticipate flare-ups at any point during the term. It is important to remember that professors have the right to set "the rules of the road" in their classes, so do not assume (DNA) that accommodations will be made for mandatory course requirements. Remember that attendance is often a crucial course component in language classes, seminars, science labs and physical education -- and other classes as well.
	8. Understand Barnard’s academic requirements (e.g. foreign language, lab science, physical education, QR) and possible modifications, not exceptions.
	9. If you have disability-related needs regarding the physical education requirement, contact ODS and the PE Department re: options. Although two semesters are required, students may choose the option of a self-paced activity after they have first completed a regular attendance-based class.
	10. If you have a writing-based disability, participate in the ODS/Writing Center WFIR Program (Writing Fellows in Residence). Dedicated writing fellows with an interest in working with students with disabilities are available in ODS for individual work--either on a drop-in or appointment basis. (Appointments are recommended.)
	11. ODS LD Coordinator Okie Hrycak offers drop-in study skills workshops in the following areas: notetaking, test-taking, time management, and reading. Watch for posters and email notices for days and times at the beginning of each semester!
	Attendance and Disability Statement Class attendance is an important issue for all students at Barnard – and particularly for students with chronic illnesses or other impairments which may necessitate disability-related absences during the term. As stated in the Barnard course catalog: “Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Frequent or prolonged absences from classes may cause a student to forfeit the right to complete coursework or to take final examinations”. While students with disabilities who are registered with the Barnard Office of Disability Services (ODS) are entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), professors are expected to set individual attendance standards in each of their classes. Frequent or prolonged absences may be seen as a fundamental alteration of core curricular requirements and therefore may not be accommodated, on a case-by-case basis. Whenever possible, students with disabilities should obtain class attendance requirements in advance – preferably during program planning in fall and spring – and certainly no later than the program filing/final course selection period during the first two weeks of each term. Courses which have specific attendance guidelines are often those in which class participation is a significant factor– and may include (but are not limited to) the following: First-year English First-year Seminar Foreign language classes Limited enrollment (L) classes Physical education classes Science labs Seminars If a student has had flare-ups of her chronic illness or disability in the past, or can reasonably expect that flare-ups may affect performance or attendance in any of her current classes, she should discuss her situation as soon as possible* with ODS, her clinicians, professors, and advisor or class dean, as necessary. The ODS Early Self-Identification Policy requires that students with disabilities discuss their accommodation needs with faculty during the first two weeks of the term so that appropriate services such as volunteer back-up notetakers, tutors, test accommodations, etc. can be coordinated. In the event that absences have affected overall class performance and accommodation is not possible, students should be aware of calendar deadlines for drop, withdrawal and P/D/F. Please remember that reasonable accommodation should always be discussed and determined on a case-by-case, course-by-course basis. Do not assume that because you have received attendance flexibility in the past or from a particular professor, that you will automatically receive it in your current situation. Obtaining class notes and meeting the professor during additional/private office hours may not be an equivalent substitute for in-class participation, especially for coursework which involves group work and/or in-class oral presentations. As in all other disability-related matters, communication and advance planning are the keys to responding effectively to problems and issues with attendance during the term. In many cases, with early and creative problem solving between the disabled student, her professors and the staff of ODS, students can successfully complete their coursework with only minimal adjustment or modification.

Office of Disability Services Barnard College

Office of Disability Services
Barnard College