ADA & Disabilities Resource Center | Idaho State University

The Results of The Faculty Survey - 07/08

Survey Results

The faculty survey put out by the ADA Center in 2006 was updated in March 2008. Out of 681 faculty members, 107 responded to our survey. This is approximately 15.5% of ISU’s faculty. The ADA Center would like to thank those faculty members who took the time out of their busy schedules to support us by returning our survey.

The purpose of this survey is to find out what the strengths and weaknesses of the ADA Center are as well as informing us about faculty strengths and weaknesses when assisting Idaho State University’s student with disability, (SWD), population. Our previous faculty survey, along with this one, is on line at our web site under Instructor Information at: ADA Center Instruction Information. These surveys may refer the faculty member to questions and responses given to concerns previously addressed by faculty members and the ADA Center staff.

The first 3 Questions can be broken down numerically and totaled easily. On question 1, both this academic year and previous academic year may be answered by one faculty member generating more responses than the number of surveys returned. The questions are reiterated below and the faculty statements with the ADA Center responses follow.

Have you provided an accommodation for a student with a disability in any of your classes?
1. This academic year
2. Previous academic year
3. Never
Did you seek or receive support from the ADA Center about providing accommodations?
1. Yes
2. No
Many faculty inform students their willingness to provide accommodations for students with disabilities by proper verification through a written statement in their syllabi or by an oral announcement the first day of class. Do you provide such a notice?
1. Yes
2. No
3. If no, why not?
What can the ADA Center do to provide you with information to ensure reasonable accommodations will be administered without compromising your own academic standards?
If you could change anything regarding the providing of accommodations to students with disabilities, what would it be?

Survey Responses

Have you provided a reasonable accommodation for a student with a disability in any of your classes?
1. This academic year = 59
2. Previous academic year = 77
3. Never = 5
Did you seek or receive support from the ADA Center while providing accommodations?
1. Yes = 79
2. No= 20
Do you inform students of the legal requirement to provide reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, either through a written statement in your syllabi or by an oral statement the first day of class?
1. Yes - 94
2. No - 0 (see response below
3. If no, why not?
No, I have had many people approach me with this verification the first day of class without any prompting. I don’t believe a specific announcement is necessary.

ADA Response: We encourage the students to self-advocate. While many do, there are those who for many reasons won’t without instructor urging. Please encourage these students by utilizing an announcement. This lets the student know that people with disabilities are accepted in your classes. It is required by law that all students with disabilities know that they have a right to accommodations as guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The announcement may be put into your syllabus or/and announced the first day of class as the instructor goes through his/her syllabus with the students. An example of the ADA suggested syllabus language/announcement may be found on the ADA Center web page at www.isu.edu/ada4isu/. Disabilities should only be verified through the ADA Center. Students with verified disabilities will present instructors with accommodation letters that state the appropriate accommodations for their disability. .
What can the ADA Center do to provide you with information to ensure reasonable accommodations will be administered without compromising your own academic standards? (Responses to this question are included with responses from Question 5)
If you could change anything regarding the providing of accommodations to students with disabilities, what would it be?

ADA Response: Forty responders stated that the ADA Center is doing fine on question 4. Twenty five faculty members said they wouldn't change anything.

If the form that is given to the instructor can specifically state what the student has indicated he/she needs for the class, the instructor might be able to better assist the student. Sometimes the wording used in the statement hasn’t matched the student’s needs.

ADA Response: The law requires that confidentiality of a student’s disability be maintained, except in certain types of emergencies. Only with the student’s written permission can the ADA Center discuss a student’s disability. One of the reasons that we require the students to hand-deliver the accommodation letter to their instructor(s), is to facilitate self-advocacy for the student and promote an opportunity for the faculty member and student to develop a rapport in which both gain from the exchange. A student can explain many things about their particular problems without using the terminology that would label them. The form is somewhat generic on purpose as the student’s needs can vary greatly from class to class and from year to year. There is no way that the ADA Center will be able to know or anticipate the particulars of any class..

Information on how I can help facilitators such as interpreters for the deaf would be appreciated ahead of time.

ADA Response: Our Deaf Services Coordinator, Robert Wood, at ext. 2294, is available to discuss this with you. We try to have every interpreter meet with every instructor they will be working with throughout the semester the week before the semester begins. The contract also benefits interpreters who appreciate getting any advance “technical” language and other particulars of a given course that may expedite the communication process. Interpreters also like to inform instructors of what the interpreters’ responsibilities are and are not to alleviate any potential problems before they can occur. Sometimes there is no contact for various reasons..

More advance notice of a person needing accommodations to be given so that I can make accommodations as needed. I have videos that do not have captions so I could have the transcript ready for the interpreter, for instance.

ADA Response: As most faculty members are aware, many students procrastinate and students with disabilities are no different. Often the ADA Center does not get any advance knowledge of who is taking what class and when. Although we require a class schedule before giving a student an accommodation letter, some students wait a week or two before they get their letter or wait until they get in trouble in a class as they want to see if they can succeed in the class without accommodations. The ADA Center provides services to between five and six hundred students every semester. With students taking anywhere from one to six classes in a semester, it would be extremely difficult to anticipate what information each instructor might require. This is another reason that we encourage students to meet with each instructor as soon as possible when a semester begins, or even before, so that the Center may assist with accommodations..

Cost of testing for a student with a (potential) disability is sometimes prohibitive and keeps the person from getting the assistance they need.

ADA Response: The ADA Center works with the ISU Psychology Clinic to enable students to be tested at an extremely reasonable rate. The Psychology Clinic only has so many slots and can see only so many students during a semester. We also encourage students to register with Idaho Vocational Rehabilitation for support. The testing is necessary to ensure that, in fact, the student has a disability that results in a functional limitation to a major life activity such as reading, writing, computing math problems, etc. Student may also contact a physician or psychologist of their own choice, depending on the disability, but for many students that is cost prohibitive. The other side of this coin is that if we did not require some supportive documentation from a qualified professional in the field, the number of students seeking accommodations would grow tremendously and faculty would be dealing with many students who may or may not have a disability but do in fact want some type of extra non applicable support. That scenario would be more likely to cause functional alterations in the various departments and colleges than the system currently in place.

Ensuring that all faculty comply with the requirement. I have had a report of a faculty member who refused to work with a student with a disability.

ADA Response: For whatever reason, that does occur from time to time, but very infrequently. The faculty members on the ISU campuses are largely very supportive and passionate about both their students and subject areas. We deal with this on a case by case basis. More often than not, the problem is within the realm of a miss-communication. Occasionally, the situation may be caused by a lack of experience on the part of a “new” faculty member. The ADA Center is on campus to support faculty as well as students. Please contact the Center for any problems. In the larger sense, refusal to work with a student with disabilities is discrimination and while the Center will attempt to resolve the situation through the student and faculty member as well as the University chain of command, that refusal may well be grounds for a lawsuit.

A testing center for all students, both ADA eligible and everyone else, would be a nice addition.

ADA Response: We agree, but so far the efforts to put this together among the many departments that would be involved have seemingly generated what could be called polite disinterest..

A phone call directly from the office to give guidance and assistance in addition to the letter handed me by the student.

ADA Response: There are a number of problems with this idea from the Center’s perspective. Conservatively, the Center serves about 500 students each semester, who take anywhere from one to six classes, generating well over a thousand letters each term. By the time the ADA Center could contact all the possible professors and TAs’ the semester would be well under way. The Center has no idea what professors would utilize any such support and what professors would consider the support totally unnecessary. Additionally, that type of “service” by the ADA Center would negate some of the self-advocacy skills that we hope to foster in our students. It would also remove the opportunity for students and faculty to develop a rapport from which each could benefit. The current method allows any professor who has questions and/or concerns to contact the Center as needed. The interaction with faculty is something the Center greatly values..

More funding for the ADA and Disabilities Resource Center.

ADA Response: Hear! Hear! Thank you for that support. Until the additional funding comes through, the Center staff is working diligently to reduce costs yet provide greater more effective services. We are developing grants and new service options such as TypeWell, a captioning program. We hope to have it in place by fall semester 2008..

Only thing would be a more systematic method of providing exams to you electronically. Also it would be good if you had extra scantron sheets on hand (of various types-a pain I know) but that is less important.

ADA Response: At this time, several instructors send exams via e-mail and via fax. On every Testing Accommodation Form is the e-mail address and fax number to send exams. Perhaps as ISU develops the Banner system campus wide, a better electronic method of sending exams might be included. That will definitely be looked into. Please let us know what types of scan sheets we should have available and we will do our best to keep them. Just make sure you indicate what scantron should be used for the test..

QUIT ASKING (TELLING ME) TO ALLOW MORE TIME. Why should these students get more time when others have to quit when time’s up?

ADA Response: This is called equal access under the law and is required as a reasonable accommodation for those with certain documented disabilities. You have the choice not to comply but you may have to accept any consequences for your choice.

I’m typically NOT given justification for the request. I’m just apparently expected to yield to somebody else’s decision that I should. Shouldn’t I at least know why this person merits special treatment?

ADA Response: The accommodations are not special treatment. They are equal access for students who, except for some functional limitations due to disability, are deemed otherwise qualified to attend Idaho State University. The ADA Center promotes student self-advocacy and at the same time safeguards their right to confidentiality. The student, at their discretion may or may not share the limitations of their disability with you. Please call the ADA Center and we will be happy to discuss our qualifications, the qualifications of the professionals providing the documentation of the student’s disability and the legal requirements with you.

I have not interacted with this office much in recent years. My impression is that there is not much individualization involved. I don’t see that the accommodations I am asked to make have very much to do with the specific disability of the student. My impression is that there is a standard bank of accommodations. It seems that they just go through a menu and check the ones they think they want.

ADA Response: Some students have obvious disabilities but may also have disabilities that you do not know of or are not obvious. For many students there are “usual” accommodations for certain disabilities that have proven effective. These are what have been determined to assist in equal access without the student gaining an advantage over non-disabled peers. There are other accommodations that maybe invisible to the professor in the classroom and some that are made only with the approval of the instructor so that no essential function of the class or material is reduced in any way. The students meet with an ADA coordinator who then, utilizing the applicable documentation that supports the disability along with recommendations of the medical or psychiatric/educational professional, determines what accommodations are reasonable and appropriate. The students do not get to determine their own accommodations.

I recognize that you probably can’t change this part. The need for confidentiality is sort of disturbing. I have a lot of knowledge about disability issues and I am able and willing to accommodate students. I wish your office could disclose more about the nature of the disability. Also, I wish I could be more open with other students about the need for accommodations. I have had bad experiences (in past – not in the last few years) where some students resented the accommodations provided. Some students seemed to think that I was being unfair – showing favoritism. I was not free to explain that there was a disability rights issue involved. I think you could encourage students to be open and to at least think about the negative outcomes of keeping secrecy. However, I recognize that privacy is the student’s right, and we can not reveal information about them. And I know you should not pressure students to reveal information but I hope you encourage it.

ADA Response: That is an excellent statement. You understand the issues well. When the student hand delivers the accommodation letter to their professor, we hope this would open up the lines of communication between the two. To some extent, there is a matter of trust involved on both sides. I think that more and more people are coming to understand that the accommodations are not an advantage but a provision that is leveling the playing field. As more than 5% of ISU’s student body is registered with the ADA Center, disability is becoming more of a normal situation and the entire campus, I am pleased to say, is becoming more aware. If anyone really understands the work involved in securing and then using accommodation, they would forget the advantage part very quickly. Accommodations are a pain in the posterior to use and require extra work on the part of the student to maintain. No one who doesn’t have to use them would ever want too. As far as disclosing, some students were shamed by their disability in K-12 and fear the same thing the in post secondary environment. Some students also are afraid of their self-esteem taking a major hit if they are seen to be different. This writer is hearing impaired and when he was involved in his Master’s program refused support from the Disabilities Services office despite repeated attempts to get him to visit the office. It was all ego. Years later, I had to make a decision whether to soothe and protect my ego or try and get the best possible education I could. I chose the latter, and would stand up in class the first day saying I was hearing impaired and needed a note taker. The disability was out there, the need was taken care of, and life went on. The writer’s ego recovered quite nicely. This story is frequently shared with students to encourage their disclosure to professors and not to hide who they are. There is no shame in having a disability and trying to live up to your true potential..

I wish our campus was more welcoming to the more obvious disabilities. We don’t appear to be very accessible. We should be leading the community in promoting disability rights issues.

ADA Response: Those are good thoughts. I feel that the hardest barriers to overcome are the emotional-attitudinal barriers. The best way that I know of to overcome these barriers is to remember that it always starts with us. We can not force change in anyone’s mind set or heart. All we can do is show them by the example of our own lives. If they cannot see and are truly blind, they cannot be shown.

I wish I had more confidence that the less obvious issues, (depression, learning disability), were evaluated more carefully. I think we have some students who abuse the disability category as an excuse.

ADA Response: I totally agree with you. We do the best we can to minimize this by having the student secure documentation from a professional in the particular field that the student’s disability is in. A few years ago a doctor whose professional field was gynecology sent us a two sentence letter stating that one of his patients had ADD and urging us to give her “appropriate” accommodations. Needless to say, we did not accept that doctor’s diagnosis and wrote him back with our checklist for documentation and requested a list of the tests he had performed along with the results which had led to this diagnosis. He was quite upset that he was being questioned, but the student still had to get documentation from a “qualified” professional. Some students, but very, very few see having a disability as an asset. They know exactly what to say to their health care providers and to us to get accommodations. Most will tire of the game because, as was said before, utilizing accommodations is a lot of extra effort. They might as well just study harder.

I found the system generally easy to use but it could use some additional online resources. Several times I have found that I am preparing the exam until fairly late and faxing the ADA Center is the last item on my list, (this is my first year preparing several of my courses). Once I forgot to fax the exam and felt terrible when the student had to come to class to remind me. I would absolutely sign up if you had an automatic email list that professors could customize to send reminders to themselves and/or GTAs both to send exams and when/where the exam was delivered. Electronic forms and notifications are a wonderful idea, I think, so long as student confidentiality can be preserved. Yet another reason to get the secure server running on campus!

ADA Response: There are some great ideas there. After reading this suggestion, I am trying to see what Banner can do in this regard. If I get a response before this goes on the web, I will add it to these notes. Banner has some excellent promise but I expect there are limits to what we can do when security might be compromised. Time will tell us many things..

Is it possible to encourage students to inquire about a professional program and their disabilities before they apply or enroll in a program? Some seem to expect that certain coursework is to be waived when we really can’t do it.

ADA Response: No class or program is required to alter what may be considered the essential aspects of said class or program. The ADA Center encourages all professional departments, in particular, the health science professions, to list the technical standards of the program on the web page and in brochures so that all prospective students may at least do some self-study to determine if they think they can perform the standards up to the designs of the program. Another issue that coincides with this is that some accommodations that are perfectly fine in academic settings are not reasonable or even realistic in some practicum or clinical environments. All students should be responsible for determining whether a program fits their needs and is realistic for their capabilities. The University is not allowed to ask about disability during the admissions process and no department can refuse a student because of a disability. The student is always responsible for meeting the essential requirements of a program.

Reduce/eliminate the hesitation some students have in pursuing evaluation/eligibility for receiving accommodations so that they pursue it early rather than waiting to encounter difficulties prior to resorting to this needed benefit.

ADA Response: I would love to do that. How? Seriously, the reasons students don’t self identify early are very individualistic. Some want to get away from what they feel will be similar to their K-12 experiences, some don’t feel they need the help, some resent their disability (ego), and some aren’t aware that they should or can despite all the information in the University community about assistance.

A TA would be helpful for visually impaired in our program, Massage therapy is a hands on program.

ADA Response: TAs come from within any given department, not through the ADA Center. There are other methods of explaining hands on material without using sight. Please call the Center and we will be glad to discuss alternatives with you.

I would like to contact the ADA Center in future semesters to provide a “real world” perspective for undergraduate pre-service teachers in our College of Education program, particularly in relation to the use of technology to help facilitate diverse learners in the K-12 classroom.

ADA Response: Ask us, as we will be glad to present anytime.

What is the best way to provide a note taker?

ADA Response: Students who utilize notetakers get information sheets that they are supposed to share with the instructor the first couple days of class. Other options include tape recording lectures, professor notes when possible, and other types of assistive technology such as TypeWell may be available..

Be more specific about what exactly the student’s problem is and how exactly we are expected to accommodate him/her without compromising on class expectations.

ADA Response: As stated before, everyone has the right to confidentiality. Without written permission from the student or exigent need, we cannot divulge a student’s disability. Further, there are too many students in too many classes with too many professors for the ADA Center to take that initiative. The Center must rely on you to know when you need assistance and call us. We always appreciate the interaction. It can’t be restated enough, talk with your students and encourage them to talk to you. That may take some work as many students are afraid to approach their professors.

Integrate, in a better way, with the Psych testing division here at ISU. This has always been the biggest hurdle our students face in getting their ADA accommodations. Under the federal ADA laws, we believe that ISU is placing unreasonable roadblocks and multiple requirements in front of students who have the right to be accommodated. In many ways, we are violating those rights due to the unreasonable and coercive nature of the required testing, (travel, costs, frequent follow-up visits, more travel, more calls, calls, calls, calls)

ADA Response: Interestingly enough, most Universities do not have a testing center on campus. At most universities, there is no alternative for the student, but to go to a psychologist who hangs out his/her shingle and pay whatever the charge is for the testing. Most students cannot afford that, so in that respect, the Psychology Clinic is an inexpensive and attractive option. We are very lucky to have it on our campus. Unfortunately, due to that advantage, there is usually a waiting list. Students are given several choices and few opt for other than the Psych Clinic. I am curious as to whom “we” is, but the rights of students are not being violated nor is ISU placing unreasonable roadblocks in front of students with disabilities. Unlike IDEA in the K-12 system, students with disabilities do not have to have accommodations, it is the student’s choice and in making that choice, the student has to integrate into the system. Nearly all Universities in the United States that receive federal aid operate under the same or very similar guidelines. Without current and comprehensive documentation of a disability how are we supposed to know which students have the “right to be accommodated.”.

Students need to understand that accommodations aren’t a free ticket to do anything they want. The interpretation of flexibility in attendance and due dates has been stretched to far.

ADA Response: I agree with the free ticket part of the statement and I will reiterate that students with disabilities should be held to the same standards as their non-disabled peers without exception. Students with disabilities have the same rights to succeed or fail as other students and if they deserve to fail, honor your discipline by failing them. The flexibility accommodation is like many over the counter medications. They are for occasional use only. Any more than that requires a different analysis of the situation. Please don’t hesitate to inform us of any problem where the accommodation is being overused and we will meet with you and the student to determine what the resolution might be.

Sometimes it would be helpful to know how to provide more cognitive assistance to the student that would be in line with their disability. Right now we are just extending time limits and providing notetakers. Maybe changing presentation or testing media or procedures would be helpful.

ADA Response: Most post secondary instructors teach with just two methods, audio and visual. According to some estimates, those are the strongest methods of learning for only about 40% of your average classroom of students. That means 60% of all students are missing some part of your delivery of information due to the average teaching methods not being in line with any of the 60%’s strongest learning style. Howard Gardener developed a theory of what he calls multiple intelligences that describe at least nine different possible learning styles that various learners possess. If a professor can hit on some or all of those learning styles that professor will enhance the learning of material for the whole classroom. There are always options and choices regarding teaching methods. I applaud your willingness to consider and explore possible options.

Develop a handout on the top ten mental health issues and the effect on learning including the side effects of the major class of psychiatric medications.

ADA Response: I could discuss this with the leading professionals on this campus, having four in mind, and I am sure get four varied answers to this issue. Recognizing that the person, who sent this response, is in one of the professions that would require this information more than the ADA Center, I would suggest that person do the research and come up with the list. The various classifications of medications are so large with such varied side effects compounded by any person’s individual’s body build, history of medications, current medications, and current needs that I suspect any such list would be huge and relatively useless.

Training staff on subjects like mental health and Apspergers and its impact on learning.

ADA Response: Earlier this year, the ADA Center initiated a presentation series where our staff would come and share information about disabilities to various departments and colleges across campus. We are delighted with the opportunity to do these presentations and welcome the requests from faculty to do so.

Perhaps an email to faculty at the start of each semester regarding services for those in need.

ADA Response: This goes along with the previous statements regarding phone calls to professors who will have students with disabilities in their classes. It would take a full time person a major part of any given semester to individualize the emails. Again, if any faculty member has questions, please call the Center.

I have a student with a math disability. I feel badly that she has to fail so many times to get anything changed. And then her program did not want to waive the coursework – which I understand in some cases. So she sits in my class over and over feeling worse about herself. I found some info on the net, a letter to a math teacher by a student with dyscalculia, and she really identified. She did not feel so beat up after the fact. It would be better to advise the students sooner, have them generate options they can fall back on. The Center for New Directions was instrumental in her plan changes. I am not sure what I am saying here, maybe more counseling, but then again, maybe you did a lot for her. I can’t say because I don’t know. I only know that this has been tough on her, tougher than needed

ADA Response: The requirements of any program are determined by whatever governing board oversees that profession. A student usually needs the support of her advisor as well as approval of the College of Arts and Sciences to waive any math courses. If there is a disability related to math, the ADA Center can support the student but is only in an advisory capacity. Support from her advisor and more options might be beneficial, however, at some point the student has to ultimately take the responsibility for her own education and self-advocate for herself.

My current student uses his time and a half for testing. During the test time he tends not to stay very focused. The other students in the class occasionally wonder if he actually needs it. I wonder if in cases such as his if possibly requiring them to take seminars to improve these skills would help the student in the long term. I have suggested these seminars to him but he does not attend. It can only help the student. In the past years the students I have had with the ADA statement really try to achieve the standards put before the entire class. This may be a new trend.

ADA Response: If the student does not take advantage of study help nor effectively utilize the accommodations he has, he will probably leave college accomplishing only a large debt from student loans. His lack of focus may suggest the reason he has the accommodation because focus is a main aspect of his disability. On the other hand, he may not need the accommodation for this one class. He may use it well in other classes. There are so many variables within the realm of possible reasons for his lack of focus. Hopefully, this is not a new trend.

The cost of testing for a potential student with a disability

ADA Response: The cost varies depending on student need; services desired and necessitated speed for services to be available. The Pysch Clinic, as stated above, is very, very reasonable for the services they provide, hence there is usually a waiting list before a student can be tested. As far as cost goes, there is a cost for about everything. Even with disabilities it seems that people value a service more when there is a cost to it than when there isn’t.

Provide online tests that students can take through Student Health to help identify other sources of learning problems such as disabilities.

ADA Response: Web MD already has some services like that. Most health care professionals suggest that while the Web MD tests may indicate some difficulties, the testing results are no substitute for a professional diagnosis. Those types are self-tests are not acceptable to any university I am aware of.

Nice to know what type of things are available to help students like books on tape or supportive software.

ADA Response: Please check the ADA web site for auxiliary services and links that will help answer that concern.

Maintain open communication channels between the ADA Center, ticket offices, and athletic department.

ADA Response: To the best of my knowledge the communication channels are very open. If there is a specific problem, please let me know and I will do what I can to solve it.

Be there to answer questions.

ADA Response: It is my hope that we are any time we are needed.

Make sure ADA students are aware of what is offered. Emphasize what their responsibilities are.

ADA Response: When we initially meet with the student we not only go over their documentation we also go over what is offered on the campus and in the community. We also explain to the student what his/her responsibilities are. Every semester when we give the student their accommodation letters, we give each student a Student Responsibilities pamphlet that states again what the student’s responsibilities are. The information is also posted on the ADA web site.

Continue to maintain positive communication with instructors.

ADA REsponse: We will do our best and would hope that instructors would do the same. We can eliminate most problems quickly if we communicate and work together.

Make sure exams are well proctored.

ADA Response: We have cameras and microphones on the test takers at all times. We also make sure that they leave their coats, back packs, purses, and such in our main office. These do not go into the testing room. Unfortunately, one or two cheaters are caught per semester.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, the ADA Center’s hope is that this survey has educated the faculty as much as it has educated us. We thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and for sharing your thoughts and concerns. We appreciate them all. Some of the statements were repetitive and so one example was chosen to stand for several. For the most part the wording of the statements was left as was printed on the survey to try and maintain the original mindset of the writer. Please call if you would like any additional information or to address any additional concerns that you recognized through the reading of these results. Thank you again for your support of the ADA & Disabilities Resource Center and the students, staff and faculty with disabilities that attend or work at Idaho State University.