Teaching Forestry Students with Disabilities

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Teaching Forestry Students with Disabilities

• What a great opportunity for us all!

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Discussion Outline

• What are our legal obligations?
• What are our ethical obligations?
• What types of instructional aids are available?
• Instructor vs. student responsibilities
• Possible solutions
• Questions? Ask your fellow faculty members!

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• The College Student With A Disability A Faculty
  Guide available online at http//www2.nau.edu/d
  ss/FacultyGuide/index.html - includes specifics
  on several disabilities
• Section 504 of ADA requires that institutions
  receiving federal assistance (NAU) provide equal
  access to an education to qualified individuals
  with disabilities

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ADA continued

• The student with disabilities must be given
  equal opportunity to participate in and benefit
  from all post-secondary education programs and
  activities including programs and activities not
  operated wholly by the institution.
• Appropriate modification of some academic
  requirements, on an individual basis, to allow
  qualified students and applicants with
  disabilities an equal educational opportunity.

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Ethical Obligations

• Strive to provide a rewarding, challenging and
  successful educational experience to each student
  regardless of abilities/disabilities
• May have to modify teaching style and materials
  not educational content or learning outcomes
• Planning ahead is key!
• Communication must be initiated by student

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NAU Disability Support Services (DSS)

• DSS promotes the full inclusion of persons with
  disabilities in the Northern Arizona University
  community.
• Provides specific services to faculty and
  disabled students
• See handout for contact information

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Student Responsibilities

• Initiate the entire process with DSS and
  professor starting with providing a letter (from
  DSS) describing disability and request for
  special accommodations
• Request a meeting with professor before classes
  begin (sometimes previous semester)
• Request all of the readings/materials in time for
  them to be ordered or converted by DSS

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Faculty Responsibilities

• Sending all reading materials for conversion to
  DSS before classes start, at the request of the
  student
• Sending text book titles and page numbers to
  student in advance (it can take up to 3 months to
  get books in an alternate format)
• Design/planning for tests to make accommodations
  as necessary
• Design of field classes to accommodate student
  needs field trips, equipment use, utilization
  of assistant
• Modification of teaching style

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DSS Responsibilities

• Sharing of information to ensure appropriate
  accommodations are made only with student
  permission
• Conversion of readings once requested by student
  and submitted by professor
• Funding and hiring of a field assistant if
  requested by student
• Providing an appropriate environment or tools
  necessary for test taking

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Tips for Success

• First, lets view this as both an opportunity and
  a challenge to become better teachers!
• There are many different learning styles present
  in our classrooms every semester most of us are
  visual learners (see handout)
• Remember that these students are adults and are
  responsible for their own education
• Plan ahead and work together set expectations
  in the beginning, eliminate misunderstandings

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More Tips

• Technology to the rescue Use Word files (no
  pdfs) and get them up on the web before semester
  starts eliminates need for conversion talking
  compasses, data loggers, etc.
• Be Creative!
• Exchange of phone numbers, much quicker than email

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Final Tips

• Tests may require special planning
• Take-home tests require no special in-class
  arrangements
• Arrange for a test reader in the building
  (student, admin staff, grad student)
• Avoid pop quizzes or changes at the last minute
  (unless you have also planned for accommodations)
• Talk with student in advance to make arrangements
• Share wisdom and talk with other instructors,
  this is a learning process for all of us!