Ensuring a Quality Education for Indiana’s Students with Disabilities

Jacqueline HarrisTaiping HoLarry MarkleRoger Wessel

Ball State University

Roger Wessel, Professor of

Higher Education,

www/bsu/edu/edstudies

rwessel@bsu.edu

Jacqueline Harris,

Learning Center Study

Strategies and Writing

Coordinator, bsu.edu/universitycollege/learningcenter

jroberts@bsu.edu

Larry Markle, Director of Disabled Student

Development, www.bsu.edu/dsd

lmarkle@bsu.edu

Taiping Ho, Professor of

Criminal Justice and Criminology, www.bsu.edu/cjc

tapingho@bsu.edu

BSU Grant – Ensuring a Quality Education for Indiana’s Students with Disabilities (Project # P333A080021-09)

Received from the US DOE’s Office of Postsecondary Education

Multi-faceted approach to facilitating a smooth transition to college for SWDs

Impetus behind the grant was the Faculty Mentorship Program for SWDs

Four distinct components to the grant

4 Components of the Grant

Faculty Mentorship Program Educational opportunities for faculty,

staff, & administrators Training for tutors at the Learning

Center Outreach to the K-12 community in

Indiana on the transition to college for SWDs

Need for the Grant Activities

Transition to college can be especially difficult for SWDs Laws governing disability are different in

K-12/postsecondary Students often over-accommodated in K-

12 Student is an adult in college & must

take the lead in his/her own education & accommodations – Not the case in K-12

Relevant Legislation

Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (2004 Reauthorization of IDEA)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Differences in Legislation

IDEA= Entitlement • Student has a right to

a free and appropriate public education

• Emphasis on success (modify standards)

ADA= Eligibility• Attending college is

a privilege. Students must be eligible

• Emphasis on equal access (standards are not modified)

Differences in Responsibility

ISSUE SECONDARYSection 504/IDEA

POSTSECONDARYSection 504/ADA

Identification School Student

Assessment School Student

Programming School/Parent Student/College

Advocacy School/Parent Student

Decision Making Placement Team Student

Transition Planning

Placement Team Student

Source: Brinckerhoff, L.B., Shaw, S.F., & McGuire, JM

Faculty Mentorship Program Partnership between DSD, the Learning

Center, & BSU faculty Connect a new SWD with a faculty member

in student’s major or area of interest for informal mentoring

SWDs in FMP have higher GPAs, more hours earned, better use of campus resources than SWDs who chose not to participate

The Need for the FMP, Part 1 Research has indicated that students who

interact with faculty members: Get better grades Are more satisfied with their education Are more likely to be retained

Students who come to college less prepared benefit more from faculty engagement

Source - National Survey of Student Engagement 2006 report, Engaged Learning: Fostering Success of All Students

The Need for the FMP, Part 2

Difficult transition to college for SWDs Legal differences Philosophical differences Differences in services provided Greater expectations of students in

college Authority of teacher/faculty member is

different

FMP Activities FMP creators have weekly meetings to

coordinate the program and to plan events

Emails sent to students Suggesting questions/talking points for

meetings with mentors Reminding students of services available on

campus End of semester survey of students &

mentors

FMP Activities Regular lunch meetings with mentors

Discuss the program and solicit feedback Guest speakers discuss campus services

& their assistance for SWDs Connect different academic disciplines &

assist other mentors with concerns students have outside of mentor’s area of expertise

Benefits of Attempting FMP Mentoring is important for all

students, especially SWDs Fosters collaboration across units Awareness in departments about

services offered – mentor becomes “go to” person in that department

Gets word out about resources available on campus

Faculty Training Series Local & national experts come to campus to

talk with faculty about best practices & current research in teaching SWDs Tips on teaching different disability types Discuss topics such as Universal Design Effective mentoring Utilizing technology in the classroom Info available on web at:

http://cms.bsu.edu/en/About/AdministrativeOffices/DSD/Programs/Fedgrant.aspx

Learning Center Assistance

Graduate assistants working directly with SWDs

Additional tutoring & study assistance for SWDs

Training series for LC tutors on interacting & tutoring students with a variety of different disabilities

Outreach to K-12 Community

Brochure on the transition to college for SWDs sent to every high school in Indiana

Presentations given across state to high school educators, students, parents, & others involved in the transition to college for SWDs

Ball State Grant Administrators Jacqueline Harris – Coordinator of

Study Strategies & Writing, The Learning Center

Taiping Ho, Professor of Criminal Justice & Criminology

Larry Markle, Director of Disability Services

Roger Wessel, Associate Professor of Educational Studies