The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Fair Housing Act require that institutions such as campus residence halls accommodate individuals with service animals. A service animal (e.g., guide dog, service dog) is specially trained to perform specific tasks to benefit a person with a disability.
Interactions with your peers can reinforce your classroom learning, help you persist to graduation, and make your college experience more satisfying (Pascarella, E.T., & Terenzini, P. T. 2005. How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco). A group of students working together to advocate for increased accessibility on campus can also be more effective than a student advocating alone.
My name is Rajiv and I'm a biology major. I have severe Dyslexia, a learning disability that affects my reading and writing skills.
I'm Nolan, a junior at the university. I am a physics and astronomy major. I plan to attend graduate school in physics. I have two learning disabilities: Dyslexia, a reading disability, and Dysgraphia, a writing disability. I was diagnosed by a clinical psychologist when I was nine years old, and have been reassessed two times.
My name is Rodney and I am a student at a large Northeastern University. I have a mobility impairment and use a wheelchair. In the winter large amounts of snowfall require campus staff to plow all of the parking lots. It has been the policy of parking services to plow the snow from the parking lot into large drifts in the accessible stalls and to shovel the snow from the stairs onto the ramps.
My name is Kim. I am a nineteen-year-old senior majoring in biology and I'm determined to get my master's in genetics counseling. I want to be a genetics counselor in a large medical center.
My name is Javier and I'm a first-year medical school student. I am legally blind but have some functional vision. My condition is called Stargardt's Disease. It is a rare degenerative condition that results in the loss of central vision but not all peripheral vision.
I'm Hua, a junior in electrical engineering. I am profoundly deaf, meaning that I have no hearing, and I use American Sign Language (ASL) as my primary communication method in courses and for personal communication.
My name is Elena. I am working toward my associate's degree in computer graphics at the community college. I have Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease causing inflammation of the tissues, which can be painful. Recently I developed repetitive strain injuries (RSI) as a result of my muscle pain and weakness and extensive computer use. I take medications that partially control the Lupus symptoms. I do not have a visible disability, so sometimes people think I am faking or unnecessarily avoiding work.
My name is Austin. I have a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome and I recently started taking classes at my local community college.
My family and I were concerned about my transition to college because I have difficulty meeting people and making new friends. Having friends my own age at school helps me to stay positive and motivated when things get hard. My two best friends in high school were people whom I have known all my life.