JPED Volume 16, Number 2, Spring 2003
Spring 2003
- OCR Rulings Under Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Higher Education Student Cases
- Profiles of Academic Achievement and Cognitive Processing in College Students with Foreign Language Difficulties
- Implementing Universal Design in Higher Education: Moving Beyond the Built Environment
- Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability Book Reviews
OCR Rulings Under Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Higher Education Student Cases
Abstract: This study provided a quantitative analysis of a random sample of 167 National Disability Law Reporter-published letters of findings by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in response to higher education student complaints under Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Inasmuch as each letter of findings contained, on average, two issues, a total of 346 issue rulings were the basis of the analysis. The number of these rulings per year was lower during the last five years of the 1990-98 period of the study. The outcome of the rulings favored the institutions of higher education, over the student complainants by a 2:1 ratio; however, the ratio in favor of institutions was lower for letters of findings as a whole because each letter covered approximately two issues. Type of the disability and type of the issue were significant outcome-related factors. More specifically, the success rate was significantly higher for students with mobility or hearing impairments and for complaints regarding general institutional requirements and facilities accessibility than for students with other disability or issue categories.
Profiles of Academic Achievement and Cognitive Processing in College Students with Foreign Language Difficulties
Abstract: This study evaluated the cognitive and achievement profiles of college students experiencing difficulties in foreign language (FLD group). Because past research appears to have generated different results based on the type of comparison groups utilized, we attempted to obtain a better representation of students with foreign language difficulties. A total of 77 students who had difficulty in foreign language were compared: (a) to a sample of 110 students with academic difficulties in nonforeign language areas, (b) to the standardized norms for the tests of cognitive and academic abilities, and (c) to their own group means (an ipsative analysis). Based on national norms and ipsative comparisons, primary areas of difficulty for FLD students appear to be in spelling and in long-term storage and retrieval. Difficulties were also noted in auditory processing and processing speed. Strengths were noted in quality of writing and verbal comprehension. As a general finding, it does not appear that FLD students have difficulties with native language abilities such as vocabulary knowledge or reading comprehension. Additional strengths exhibited by the FLD group were only in relation to the non-FLD group, who had academic difficulties in non-FLD areas. These strengths included quantitative knowledge, perceptual organization/visual processing, and practical mathematical ability. Many students in the non-FLD group were referred for difficulties in math coursework; therefore, the strengths exhibited by the FLD students should be considered in this context. Finally, significant gender differences were noted, with more males than females experiencing foreign language difficulties.
Implementing Universal Design in Higher Education: Moving Beyond the Built Environment
Abstract: Universal Design (UD) is a new approach to educational access that is receiving a great deal of attention. At this point, it is in its exploratory stages in the context of higher education. In recognition of the potential importance of this new paradigm and the need for focused initiatives in the field, a UD Think Tank was formulated and hosted by the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD). This report is a summary of the work of the UD Think Tank pertaining to the needs and interests of the readership of the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability. The report suggests starting points and future directions for scholarly activity in the field.
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability Book Reviews
Summary: This issue includes two book reviews. Over my head: A doctor’s own story of head injury from the inside looking out, by Dr. Claudia Osborn is an autobiographical account of one woman’s challenges during the process of rehabilitation and recovery after the experience of a head injury. the monster: Overcoming the challenges of hidden disabilities by VEronica Crawford provides a reference point for those who want to know how a hidden disability feels in everyday life experience and decision-making.
