Sensitivity and Awareness of Disabilities

Overview
Students with disabilities add to the diversity of the university community. In order to create an inclusive campus, it is important to be aware of architectural, attitudinal, communication, and program barriers that may exist, and to remove or lessen those barriers to insure individuals with disabilities meaningful access to the programs, services, and benefits offered at CU-Boulder. The biggest barriers people with disabilities often face, and the hardest barriers to remove, are the attitudes and assumptions of others.

General Awareness

• Be careful about making assumptions about an individual based on his or her disability.
• Life experiences, combined with the nature and duration of a disability, strongly influence the educational adaptations developed by people with disabilities.
• People with disabilities are impacted in a variety of different ways. Two people with the same disability may require very different accommodations.
• Individuals with non visible disabilities have needs that are just as real as those of persons with more visible disabilities.
• Expect students with a disability to meet the same standards of performance as all other students. They are here because of their abilities, not their disabilities.
• All information about a person's disability is confidential. If having a discussion with a student about his/her needs, move to a private area.

Communication

• Speak to the person with a disability as you would to any person. Focus on the person, not the disability.
• A person with a disability may appreciate assistance. However, it is advisable to ask first.
• Use "person first" language. (i.e., person who uses a wheelchair, student who is blind).
• Talk directly to an individual with a disability, not an interpreter or attendant.
• Individuals who are blind are not generally hard of hearing. Don’t raise your voice when speaking.
• When speaking with persons who have speech impairments, don’t finish their sentences to save time and don’t pretend to understand what they’re saying if you haven’t. It’s fine to ask someone to repeat themselves.
• When speaking for any extended period of time with a person who uses a wheelchair, sit down so you are at the same level.

Academic Adjustments and Reasonable Accommodations

• Faculty members should always include an access statement on all syllabi, delineating procedures and time frames for requesting reasonable accommodations. (See Preferred Syllabus Statement.)
• Students with disabilities meet the same academic entrance and degree requirements as all other students at CU-Boulder. Similarly, students with disabilities are expected to meet the same academic standards (i.e., assignments, deadlines, work quality and quantity, participation, etc.)
• CU-Boulder has specific guidelines for students’ requesting accommodations. Current documentation must be provided to the Disability Services Office and an intake appointment with a disability specialist must be conducted prior to receiving authorization for accommodations.
• Services and programs must be provided in the most integrated setting possible.
• Plan to address access issues for any activities planned outside of the classroom environment, including extracurricular events.
• Include accommodation statements on brochures and other departmental information.
• The institution is responsible for providing access, not guaranteeing success.
• Students with disabilities are expected to adhere to the CU- Code of Conduct, as are all CU-Boulder students.

Updated 6/2007