Accommodations

Other Disabilities

 

 

A large number of students on campus who are registered with Disabled Student Services have
illnesses or medical conditions that do not fit into any of the major disability groups
outlined on other pages. These students, however, are covered by Section 504/ADA. Their
illnesses or conditions can affect their energy level, memory, mobility, speech, vision,
and/or muscular control. In some cases, the degree of impairment may even vary from one day
to the next because of the nature of the medical condition, medication received, or therapy.
Illnesses may not follow a set course and may be progressively debilitating, which can cause
emotional issues for the student.

A partial list of these, often hidden, disabilities include:

  • AIDS  Allergies  Arthritis
  • Burns  Cancer  Cerebral Palsy
  • Chronic pain  Diabetes Mellitus  Epilepsy
  • Fibromyalgia  Heart Disease  Hemophilia
  • Huntington's Chorea  Lupus  Multiple Sclerosis
  • Muscular Dystrophy  Renal-Kidney Disease  Respiratory Disorders
  • Sickle-cell Anemia  Stroke  Tourette’s Syndrome

Because of medical involvement in many of these condition, some students may be absent from
class frequently, and may need similar accommodations to those discussed elsewhere in this
guide. Other students will need no accommodations.

Common side effects of medications include:

  • fatigue
  • memory loss
  • shortened attention span
  • loss of concentration
  • drowsiness.

Often, the degree of impairment varies from time to time.

Suggested Modifications for Students with Other Disabilities

  • Extended-time for exams
  • Enlarged printed materials or use of CCTV
  • Tape recording of lectures
  • Use of a reader to access printed material
  • Flexibility in attendance requirements in cases of health-related absences
  • Computers or other assistive/adaptive technologies
  • Use of a scribe for exams
  • Other accommodations found elsewhere in this guide