Academic Integration

Revised Academic Integration

Promotion /Connection : Students with disability grew dramatically between 1978 and 1991 from 3 to 9 . It became important that students report their disability . A survey found that many students had disability but few requested for services or identified themselves in the campus with it (only 1 to 3

Rehabilitation act of 1973 mandated that disabled students be provided with

Access to facilities and activities

No discrimination be made on disability

Testing procedures be made available

Other aids and services should be made available

The ADA

Act of 1990 stated that accommodations requests and policies should make available to the learning disabled student , staff and faculty and public . Post Secondary Institutions should provide the students with the program benefits , services and assure them of nondiscrimination . The Institution may provide accommodation only when it receives a welldocumented request . The counselors need to look into key issues related to disability which will remain important through out the student 's academic career . Although self advocacy and disclosure of the ability remain a responsibility of the student , yet the attitude of staff , faculty and the peers make an impact in decision making

Four Conditions are required in disclosure

Relationship - appropriate relation that may encourage disclosure

Content - situation should be right for disclosure

Source feels fine and stress free to reveal

Receiver is perceived as one who may be confided in

Effective disclosure not only equips the student with opportunity to participate effectively , but also lowers stress level of hiding a disability . It enables the student and instructor to focus on the revised needs of accommodating the students , having known the exact nature of service required early in the semester (Baker Blanding 1985

Since an individual 's identity , self esteem and sense of independence are all governed by the private information of the person , it is imperative that such information is considered private (Good Stein Reinecker , 1974 . The student may not know the instructor too well to develop confidence of disclosure . So the students need to know how much to disclose , when to disclose , whom to disclose and in what way to disclose

As a student enters the college , he becomes aware of the responsibility of the need of disclosure , self advocacy . He needs to learn the negotiation skills for self advocacy . Kubaiko says that `students who do not disclose their needs early enough , end up seeking help only after a problem occurs (Kubaiko , 1984 . To reduce the hindrances of self advocacy , counselors are advised to make a routine check on the disclosure and train the students on the skills required for self advocacy . It is important that student can speak effectively about his needs otherwise he may be labeled as a sick , helpless and diseased person

Weinberg (1978 ) advocates specific training of teacher develops a positive attitude and become approachable . Wright spoke about a phenomenon called `spread ' in which the mental barriers of the student are more hazardous in integration and may interfere with other aspects of his personality . This may lead...