Students with learning disabilities and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder who participated in a study at Virginia Commonwealth University identified the following study skills as helpful to their success in postsecondary education:
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 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.
Applying universal design principles results in products and environments that are usable by most people without having to make special adaptations. Universal design applied to educational environments, especially when technology is involved, is referred to by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL promotes the design of learning experiences that can be effective for students with a wide variety of characteristics, including disabilities.
My name is Ana. I'm an astronomy major, with a concentration in theory. I have quadriplegia (sometimes referred to in recent years as tetraplegia) and use a power wheelchair. I also have very limited functional use of my arms and hands.
My name is Carol. I am a nontraditional student who was recently diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a repetitive motion injury that affects my wrists. As a journalism major, I have many writing assignments that require the use of a computer.
I could not complete my coursework and assignments because my injury prevented me from using the standard computer keyboard.
Attempt to include students in fieldwork opportunities, rather than automatically suggesting nonfieldwork alternatives. Ask the student how they might be able to do a specific aspect of fieldwork, and work together to develop the best access solution. Include special needs in requests for field trip vehicle reservations, and provide materials in alternate formats as appropriate.