PTI Program [2014] | Postsecondary Disability Training Institute (PTI) | Collaborative on Postsecondary Education and Disability

Pre-Institute
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
1 – 4 PM

Disability Law 101: A Basic Legal Primer on Understanding a Campus’ Legal Obligation to Students with Disabilities

Jeanne Kincaid
Attorney, Drummond Woodsum

New to your position? Do you have a background in another profession but now are trying to figure out how the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act operate on college campuses? Or are you a new compliance officer charged with handling student ADA grievances? This is the session for you (level: beginner).

Leveraging Your Strengths: Positioning Yourself for Career Progress

Sue Saunders
Extension Professor, University of Connecticut

In this program, participants will use a strengths-based approach to identify professional skills and motivations that lead to their own career progression in disability services or in generalist administrative positions. Strategies to market one’s competence will also be discussed (level: all).

Managing Success for Students with Psychiatric Disabilities: It’s About Collaboration, Function and the Ability to Cope

Laura DiGalbo
Central Ct State University

This workshop will explore students with psychiatric disabilities through three lenses: the necessary collaboration among faculty, staff and the student to promote success; the interaction between psychiatric symptoms and cognition; and finally the differences between the student who has poor coping skills and the student with a psychiatric disability (level: all).

Disability Services 101

Donna Korbel
Assistant Vice-President of Student Affairs and Director, Center for Students with Disabilities, University of Connecticut

Christine Wenzel
Assistant Director, Center for Students with Disabilities, University of Connecticut

This session is specifically designed for novices in the postsecondary disability service provision field. Participants will learn about the guiding principles to consider in developing a program as well as an overview of administrative and operational practices. The intent is to assist participants in developing an effective program for their campus (level: beginner).

POSTER SESSION
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
7:30-9:00 PM

College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: What do they think they need?

Jennifer Cullen
Widener University

This poster presentation is designed to share the results of a research study that explored the needs of college students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The results revealed the emergence of many needs related to the college experience as well as recommendations for service providers, from their perspective, for what services might best support their needs.

Launching a College Transition Program: Improving Student Connection to Disability Services

Elizabeth Carpenter
Disability Support Coordinator, University of Rochester

A collaborative effort of disability services staff at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and partner support offices, UR Transition is a new one-day pre-orientation program designed to help incoming freshmen students with disabilities make the shift from their previous learning environments to that of The College. UR Transition engages participants early to promote timely access to accommodations, and includes a series of interactive self-advocacy and study management workshops. A concurrent program was designed for parents and families of these students to support their unique transition experience. Upperclassmen familiar with CETL disability services were recruited as peer mentors, and played a valuable role in modeling effective self-advocacy skills.

Literature Trends in Higher Education and Disability: Faculty and Non-Disability Support Staff Studies

Adam R. Lalor
Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut

Jennifer S. Kowitt
Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut

Are you curious about the research related to university faculty and staff regarding students with disabilities? This poster presentation will explore the disability-related research that has been published on faculty and non-disability support staff and discuss emerging trends in this body of literature. What we found in the research literature may surprise you!

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Tina Vires
Director for Accessibility, Limestone College

What is NDEAM and why should institutions encourage community participation?

Transition of Disabled Military Undergraduate Students to College Environment and Their Access to Support Services

Andrew Wislock
Graduate Assistant, Student Affairs, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

This poster session will provide an overview of the challenges that disabled military undergraduate students face in their transition to the university environment. The focus will be on demographics, current research findings and the practical implications for disability services and the university community. This overview will also highlight future research needs.

Informational session on Online Course Certificate Program at the University of Connecticut

Joseph Madaus
Associate Professor, Educational Psychology &
Director, Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability, University of Connecticut

Kirsten Behling
Director of Disability Services, Suffolk University

The University of Connecticut’s Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability in collaboration with current professionals in the field are offering a 12-credit online certificate program in Postsecondary Disability Services. This program is designed for emerging professionals in the field while also containing courses relevant to the practical needs of current professionals. This session will present the overall rationale for the program, overview the certificate courses, programmatic logistics and allow ample opportunities for questions.

3-Day Strands

Please note: Each Strand is continuous for three days. You will make one choice from Strand I and one choice from Strand II.

Strand 1: Sessions A thru D (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 8:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.)
Strand 2: Sessions E thru H (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 noon)

Session A: Documentation 101: Understanding and Interpreting LD and ADHD Evaluations

Will Lindstrom
Director, Regents’ Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia

Jennifer Lindstrom
Assistant Professor, University of Georgia

Gerri Wolfe
Liaison, Regents’ Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia

Designed for novices, this didactic and interactive strand will provide training on the interpretation of documentation commonly submitted by students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. Specific topics will include psychometric score interpretation, understanding frequently used measures, and using data to inform disability and accommodation decisions under the ADA (level: beginner).

Session B: Assistive and Emerging Technology for Students with Sensory Disabilities

Andrew Cioffi
Assistant Director/Disability Services, Suffolk University

Kirsten Behling
Director/Disability Services, Suffolk University

Accessibility is becoming more complex as technologies advance. We are at a crossroads of assistive and emerging technology and many lessons have been learned from their implementation. This strand will focus on the current state and changing landscape of AT accommodations for postsecondary students with the following sensory disabilities: blindness, low vision, deafness, and hearing loss (level: all).

Session C: Executive Functioning, Disability and the Brain

Lorraine Wolf
Director of Disability Services, Boston University

Jane Thierfeld Brown
Director of Student Services, University of Connecticut School of Law

Executive functions (EF) are at the pinnacle of neurodevelopment. However, a variety of conditions have been associated with EF deficits. Through the presentation of research data, neuroanatomical models, and case discussion, participants will learn to identify and work with students with deficits in EF to foster development of regulatory skills (level: all).

Session D: From Guinea Pigs to Online Education: The Evolving ADA Landscape

Jeanne Kincaid
Attorney, Drummond Woodsum

Each year attorney Jeanne Kincaid returns to PTI to provide attendees with the latest legal news from proposed regulations to agency and court decisions to assist campuses in keeping abreast of this ever-changing landscape. By June of 2014, perhaps the U.S. Department of Justice will issue proposed regulations governing access to the web which has the potential to result in some sweeping compliance obligations for colleges and universities offering online education as well as traditional course offerings using Internet technologies. Attorney Kincaid will highlight any changes made to those regulations as they relate to accessing the web.

Attorney Kincaid will also highlight other trends including deaf services, from captioning obligations to a jury verdict in favor of a medical student with hearing loss. As campuses attempt to develop protocols to adapt to legal mandates with service and assistance animals, Attorney Kincaid will highlight some of the issues these requirements are posing for college campuses. The session will include an analysis of recent rulings addressing students who present a danger to themselves in which Attorney Kincaid will offer participants tips on how campuses might address this increasing challenge. And of course, bring your accommodation template so we can examine what exactly your office may be committing your campus to do. Anticipate another lively and entertaining series! (level: intermediate).

Session E: Learning Strategies and Coaching: Pathways to Self-Determination

David Parker
Postsecondary Disability Specialist, CRG (Children’s Resource Group)

In an age of helicopter parents, it is more important than ever to promote students’ volitional competence. The presenter will demonstrate specific learning strategies as well as ADD coaching techniques. These practical experiences will culminate in an exploration of self-determination. Is it the services we offer, or how we do so, that promotes students’ autonomy? (level: all).

Session F: Accommodation Conundrums in Assessing Self-Reported Evidence for Students with Multiple Disabilities

Manju Banerjee
Vice President and Director, Landmark College Institute for Research and Training

Loring Brinckerhoff
Director, Office of Disability Policy, Educational Testing Service

Recent increases in college students with co-morbid and multiple disabilities has resulted in accommodation conundrums for DS personnel. This session will address ways to authenticate students’ self-report of disability and accommodation needs using a case study approach. Recommendations for out-of-the-box thinking on accommodations for hidden disabilities will be offered (level: all).

Session G: Math Success for Students with Disabilities and Wounded Warriors: Learning Strategies, Accommodations and Success Plan

Paul Nolting
Learning Specialist, State College of Florida

Participants will learn math study skills counseling strategies, the effects of processing deficits on math leaning for students with LD, TBI, ADD and PTSD and to recommend appropriate math classroom/studying/test accommodations. Concluding with developing Individual Math Success Plans based on case studies before recommending course substitutions (level: all).

Session H: Social Challenges in Higher Education: Practical Approaches to Serving the Whole Student with ASD

Christine Wenzel
Assistant Director, Center for Students with Disabilities, University of Connecticut

Jennifer S. Kowitt
Doctoral Student, Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut

More and more students on the Autism Spectrum are enrolling in colleges and universities nationwide. Whether you are a one-person office, or have a whole team, learn practical tools to bring back to your campus to assist students on the spectrum in navigating the social world of higher education (level: intermediate).

SINGLE SESSIONS
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 – Session 1 (1:30–3:00 p.m.)

Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Clinical Education Programs

Lynnett Van Slyke
Director, University of Pittsburgh

The process for determining reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities at a clinical practicum, clerkship or internship site will be discussed. Key disability legislation will be reviewed and participants will practice applying legal concepts to requests for academic adjustments or accommodations (level: intermediate).

Connect, Learn, BreakThru: Virtual STEM eMentoring for Students with Disabilities

Gerri Wolfe
Liaison, Regent’s Center for Learning Disorders, University of Georgia

The influences of digital media have changed how people learn and socialize. BreakThru combines social networking and virtual communities to encourage students with disabilities to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math majors. Students engage using Avatars to access virtual mentoring and teaching, academic support, transition assistance and research participation (level: all).

Partnerships on a Whole New Level! Enhancing Student Potential for College, Life and Career

Deborah Fairchild
Assistant Director, Southern Connecticut State University

Patti Clay
Education Consultant, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services

What’s the point of graduating from college if you cannot compete in the job market? Find out how a university and a vocational rehabilitation agency developed a multipronged approach to help students with disabilities succeed in college, life AND develop skills to compete in the job market with non-disabled peers (level: all).

Our Field, Our Literature: An Overview of 45 years of Literature in Disability Services

Joseph Madaus
Associate Professor, University of Connecticut

Lyman Dukes III
Professor/Associate Dean, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Adam Lalor
Doctoral Student, University of Connecticut

Over 1,200 peer-reviewed articles on postsecondary education and disability published between 1968 and 2012 were analyzed by topic area, sample type, and research methodology. The session will overview the results and will provide practitioners with an understanding of which aspects of the profession presently are well substantiated by the research literature and which aspects of our profession are in need of greater research backing.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014 – Session 2 (3:15–4:30 p.m.)

Closed Captioning Matters: An Examination of the Use of Captioning for all Students

Lyman Dukes III
Professor/Associate Dean, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Casey Frechette
Visiting Assistant Professor, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

The presenters conducted a study to determine the benefits of providing captioned media for students with and without disabilities in two online courses. We report the course student outcome data, explore the benefits of captioning for students and faculty, and provide a cost analysis. Also addressed are viable transcription options (level: all).

Program Model for Visibility Minority Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: New Opportunities & Innovative Partnerships

Carla Grey
Disability Counselor, Centennial College

Parveen Dhatt-Sangha
Learning Strategist/Counselor, Centennial College

What types of supports can be implemented to meet the needs of visible minority students with ASD in science and technology programs? This interactive workshop will include video vignettes, group discussions and examine case studies. Session participants will learn the components of the Stay SMART program and will be equipped to develop successful programming for their post-secondary institution (level: intermediate).

Strategies for Facilitating Faculty Outreach and Support in Inclusive Instructional Practices

Allison Lombardi
Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut

The purpose of this session is twofold: (1) demonstrate the use of results from the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory (ITSI) to target faculty outreach and support in disability awareness and inclusive instruction based on Universal Design, and (2) compare findings from universities in the United States, Canada, and Spain. I will share the survey and other resources with participants (level: all).

Using Technology to Overcome Increased Academic Demands in Order to Succeed and Graduate

Mary Anne Steinberg
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Ed Smith
Account Executive, Kurzweil Educational Systems

The transition from high school to postsecondary education presents a new set of demands for learners. One of these demands is the increased academic workload that can overwhelm some students. In this session, we will examine postsecondary academic demands, discuss how they are amplified for the learner with disabilities, and consider how technology tools (like Kurzweil 3000-firefly) can be used in support of your efforts to help students learn successfully, stay in school, and ultimately graduate.

Thursday, June 12, 2014 – Session 1 (1:30–3:00 p.m.)

Compliance Issues on the Horizon

Salome Heyward
Salome Heyward and Associates

During each session, Salome will discuss some of the challenging compliance issues that colleges and universities will face for the foreseeable future. They include: (1) The service animal- comfort animal debate: What lessons should we take from recent rulings? (2) Direct Threat – Has the definition really changed? Do institutions need to design a new model for addressing the needs of students with psychiatric conditions? (3) Technical standards – What are legitimate standards? How should they be applied? What should happen in the clinical setting? (4) Access to emerging technology – Why are so may institutions failing to effective meet their compliance obligations? What must institutions do to demonstrate a good faith effort? (5) The accommodation dilemma – What does the word “reasonable” have to do with it? (level: all).

A Comprehensive College Transition Program for contiNUEDsuccess

Courtney Joly-Lowdermilk
Learning Disability Specialist, Northeastern University

DSS professionals will learn a college transition module that provides structured, research-based instruction for incoming students looking for academic support. Attendees will examine workshop templates, a project plan to deliver the program, qualitative and quantitative data from the program’s first year, and plans for the future of the model (level: intermediate).

Disability Employment Awareness – Is Employing Graduates Who Have Disabilities a Reasonable Goal for Higher Ed?

Tina Vires
Director for Accessibility, Limestone College

This presentation seeks to discuss the ongoing issues regarding post-graduate employment of individuals who have disabilities. Are the concerns valid? What are the obstacles? How might we make a difference? (level: all).

Students on the Autism Spectrum: Managing Behavior in the Classroom and in the Residence Hall

Jane Thierfeld Brown
Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale University

Lorraine Wolf
Director of Disability Services, Boston University

Students on the Autism Spectrum are attending higher education in increasing numbers. While adding diversity to our institutions, some students’ behaviors are challenging professors and classroom management. In the residence halls, some students are experiencing difficulties with community living and roommates. This session will discuss these topics and provide strategies (level: all).

Thursday, June 12, 2014, Session 2 (3:15–4:30 p.m.)

Compliance Issues on the Horizon

Salome Heyward
Salome Heyward and Associates

A Holistic Approach to Studying

Jennifer S. Kowitt
Doctoral Student, Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut

Katie Hudd
Strategy Instructor, Center for Students with Disabilities, University of Connecticut

This presentation will introduce the steps of strategy instruction, as well as a range of study strategies. We will take a holistic approach to studying, examining the process from pre-planning through execution of the exam. Participants will leave with study tools, skills, and technologies to share with their students (level: beginner).

Publish Your Work in JPED

David Parker
CRG (Children’s Resource Group)

AHEAD’s Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability (JPED) is a peer-reviewed journal about students with disabilities in higher education. The presenter (JPED’s Executive Editor) will provide an overview of the Journal’s mission, topics of interest, and editorial process. Tips will be offered for emerging scholars prior to time for Q&A (level: all).

Using Learning Outcomes Assessment to Build a Transition Program for Incoming Freshmen with Disabilities

Justin Lozano
Access Advisor, University of Missouri

Becca Terry
Exams Coordinator, University of Missouri

The pressure to be prepared when entering college can be overwhelming — especially for students with disabilities who are potentially advocating for themselves for the first time. This session will illustrate how a transition program for students with disabilities was drastically improved through the implementation of a learning outcomes assessment initiative (level: all).

Friday, June 13, 2014 – Session 1 (1:30–3:00 p.m.)

Cost Saving Solutions for Assistive Technology

Andrew Cioffi
Assistant Director/Disability Services, Suffolk University

There is often more than one way to deliver Assistive Technology accommodations. This presentation will explore cost saving solutions for a variety of scenarios. Specific focus will be on low cost and no cost solutions in addition to cost benefit analyses of higher priced technology/services and potential alternatives. Examples will include both technology for student and DS providers (level: all).

Follow Up to Pre-Institute Session on Leveraging Your Strengths: Positioning Yourself for Career Progress

Sue Saunders
Extension Professor, University of Connecticut

This session will follow up and extend on the Pre-Institute session related to positioning professionals for career progress in higher education.

The Making of Autism Inclusion Program: A Partnership for Success

Vannee Cao-Nguyen
Director, University of West Florida

This presentation will provide a framework for developing a program for students with Asperger Syndrome that will enhance their college experience both academically and socially. Focus will be on how to develop partnerships between students, campus resources, the coordinating office and ways to sustain the program when resources are limited (level: all).