STUDENTS WHO HAVE MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT

ATTITUDES/ASSUMPTIONS

The presence of a wheelchair or other device can cause physically able persons to make assumptions about the personality or intelligence of a student with mobility impairment.  These assumptions usually limit the person with a disability in some way.  They also create an attitude that may deny academic opportunities to the student with mobility impairment.

It is important to question these assumptions.  Ask yourself:  How do I know the extent of this person’s disability?  What expectations do I have of this person by making an assumption?  What are this person’s actual characteristics and capabilities?

Often, a mistaken assumption can be more limiting to the student with a disability than the disability itself.

ACCESSIBILITY

Physical barriers to the student with a disability exist at almost every post-secondary institution in the United States. To make South Dakota State University accessible to students with mobility impairments, renovations have been made to provide curb cuts, ramps and rails throughout the campus. Elevators, washrooms and doors have been modified in residence halls as well as in academic buildings.

OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES

The coordinator of Disability Services is available to discuss the concerns of students with a mobility impairment. The coordinator of Disability Services can also ensure that the necessary accommodations and resources are provided. These include:

• Securing specialized equipment – tape recorders, access to computers, etc.
• Arranging testing and academic accommodations – extra time for exams, permission to tape lectures, private exam rooms, etc.
• Arranging for note-takers
• Arranging suitable residential and parking accommodations
• Ensuring that classrooms where lectures and seminars are held are accessible
• Providing personal support and advice
• Liaison with faculty and academic counselors

ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS

The student should arrange a meeting with each professor at the beginning of the semester or earlier.  These meetings should give professors and students an opportunity to get comfortable with each other, as well as to work out any modifications that may be required.

SUGGESTIONS FOR EXAMS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Students with mobility impairments often need extra time to complete assignments.  This may be because more time is required for traveling and researching, or simply more time for execution, especially for exams.

It may be necessary to make arrangements for tests to be taken in some alternative manner. Could they be taken orally?  Could they be taken with a teaching assistant writing under dictation from the student?  Could the student take the test in the routine manner if given more time for writing and/or use of a computer?

SUGGESTIONS FOR LECTURERS AND LAB INSTRUCTORS

The ideal role for the instructor is to help the student find practical solutions to his or her particular needs. It is important that professors and teaching assistants not lower their expectations of the student with mobility impairment because of assumptions about their limitations.

• Recognize that student with a mobility impairment may need a place to sit in the front of the classroom with close proximity to an exit for safety reasons.
• Recognize that at times a student with mobility impairment will need more time to travel between classes and might be arriving late. The student may also request a change in lecture or tutorial section for this same reason.
• If mobility impairment makes it difficult to take notes, a student may ask permission to record lectures or to borrow notes from a classmate. Copies of overheads, lecture outlines, or other visual aids may also be helpful if the student has trouble writing.
• Give thought to structuring lab experiences for someone in a wheelchair. If arm/hand mobility is limited, could the student participate in a buddy system with another student doing the mechanics of the experiment?