Aligning Disability Services With College Cultures: What Will Work On Your Campus?

Andy ChristensenCarleton College

AHEAD: July 15, 2015

Purpose of Presentation

• What can be generalized across all campuses?• What is unique to each campus?• How can that uniqueness be identified and

maintained?

The Easy Part: Federal Law

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) defines what we must and must not do– “Reasonable accommodations…qualified

individuals…undue burden”

• Still leaves a wide area for individual decisions– The point is to REFRAIN from treating everyone the

same• Fair Treatment is not Identical Treatment• Deliberative process v. outcome

Leeway and Discretion Remain

• Other Considerations– Funding– Academic Philosophy– State & Local Law (Housing and animal policies)

Our Job on Our Campuses

• Help Students• Reduce the degree to which others

(supervisors) need to worry about Disability Services– Legal Compliance• Mostly (but not all) one federal law: The Americans

with Disabilities Act

– Unhappy Students

Carleton College

• Extremely rigorous• About 2,000 students, all traditional

undergraduates• Small Minnesota city• Largely inaccessible campus

Carleton College Disability Services

• 122 students registered in 2013-14• Almost exclusively invisible disabilities– No hearing-, visually-, or mobility-impaired

• One staff person (with visible motor disability)

Other Carleton Facts

• 100% of demonstrated financial need is met for all admitted students

• 91% 4 year graduation rate• 2.0 FTE on GLBT-related services• 4.0 FTE on International and Intercultural Life• 3.0 FTE in TRIO/SSS• 70%+ to graduate or professional school

within five years of graduation

Still more Carleton Facts

• Career Services 9.0 FTE• Most Common Employment: K-12 education,

Professor, Attorney, Medicine, Manager, Analyst, Scientist

What All This Says About Carleton

• Admission is difficult and curriculum is demanding, but there’s an assumption that all students not only get through, but go on to wonderful things

• Various offices plug leaky points toward this goal

• I’m expected to do the same for students seeking disability-related services

Disability Services Takeaways

• Keep students on track• Not just access, but success• We can probably find the money• Everything is on the table

• Bottom Line: I don’t spend much time saying “no”

What is Disability at Carleton?

• Particular kind on campus• No formal DS curriculum or culture• Mitigating circumstance v. identity

• People can’t do things they’re not ready to do– Assimilation v. Distinction• “Don’t be the best. Be the only.”—David Carr

Other Things Unique to Carleton

• Not many conversations around programming compliance

• More about building access issues as we renovate and update

How Do I Spend My Time?

• Paperwork, notifying, administering accommodations, advising students and applicants, technical support

• Graduate School Preparation– Admissions Testing Issues– Reviewing Applications and Essays

• Career Exploration– There’s this sense that Carls can do anything – Many students with disabilities feel this isn’t as true for them, and

don’t know where to turn– Resume support

What should I do? What can I delegate?

• Mentoring: How to be a student with a disability at a demanding college– Other stuff is less important if I bring someone up

to speed– Need to be ready for any problem that comes in

the door• Temporary mobility support• Matching people to best resources

Tone of My Work and Office

• I want students to see me and my imperfections

• I want students to see all of me– Modeling other things than just that I have a

visible disability– I want students to notice what I take seriously, and

what I don’t• Every “reprimand” is about life skills, and

working after Carleton

Assessing Your Role on Your Campus

• Mission Statement• Typical (expected) student outcomes• Where does your campus spend its money– How willingly? – How important is your professional development?

• What kind of support exists for other students?

Assessing How Your Campus Assesses You

• How do your superiors spend their time?– How much leeway do you get?

– What sorts of activities are sponsored by other campus offices that support students?

– How are budget demands addressed?• We’re different

Final Thoughts

• Know other campus contexts to know your own

• Talk with at-risk, retention, specific population supports– Know how their $ works

• Take disability out of it– Would we handle the situation any differently if X

didn’t self-identify?

Contact Information

Andy E. ChristensenCoordinator of Disability Services

Carleton Collegeanchrist@carleton.edu

Thanks for listening!