Academic Advising for Students with Disabilities

All Disability Populations

  • Allow students to see the same advisor each semester.
  • Maintain a friendly attitude.
  • Let the student be your guide, and do not be afraid to ask questions.
  • Treat each individual with a disability as an individual, not as a disabled individual.
  • Do not assume each individual with the same type of disability has the same needs.
  • Consider the time it takes students with physical disabilities (e.g., with visual impairments or mobility impairments) to complete papers, projects, exams, and life tasks, particularly with students who are new on campus.
  • Do not overload a student. Ask students how many credit hours they feel they can handle in a semester.
  • Give students all their options when advising them about classes. Discuss with students classes that may be difficult.
  • Advise students when they may not need to take a class to graduate.
  • Discuss with the student the possibility of taking a lighter load (e.g., 12 instead of 15 hours).

Students with Physical Disabilities

  • Ask the student for specific instruction on how to provide assistance.
  • Ask the student before scheduling classes back to back.
  • Ask the student if he/she can take late afternoon or evening classes before scheduling them.
  • Ask the student if he/she needs assistance in writing the class schedule.
  • Keep in mind that students with physical disabilities or other health impairments may not be able to carry a heavy load of books. Schedule classes accordingly.
  • Ask questions before scheduling several writing intensive classes for students who do not have upper body mobility.

Students with Visual Impairments

  • Allow students to tape record advising sessions so that they can take information with them.
  • Ask the student before scheduling classes back to back.
  • Ask the student if he/she can take evening classes before scheduling them.
  • Inform the student of the reading and writing requirements of the course. (The student will often use taped texts, which are more time consuming to read.)
  • Discuss course options even if the course content is visual in nature.

Students with Hearing Impairments

  • Students who are deaf may need an interpreter for long advising sessions. (Ask the student to request an interpreter if the advising session would be more efficient with an interpreter.)
  • Talk to the student, not the interpreter.
  • For short advising sessions, written notes are acceptable communication tools. Remember not all Deaf students use an interpreter and/or read lips.
  • Students who read lips or use interpreters may need a break between classes.
  • Students with hearing impairments need a quiet setting during advising. Background noise is often picked up by a hearing aid and interferes with the student's ability to hear.

Students with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, or Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Meet in a quiet setting to reduce distractions.
  • Help the student to "balance" his/her course load. For example, avoid scheduling all the courses as intensive reading or writing courses.
  • If the student has a math disability, assist the student in selecting courses that are less intense while taking the math requirement.
  • Allow students to tape record advising sessions to listen to at a later time.
  • Give students verbal information; as well as written, to decrease misunderstandings.

Call (970) 351-2289 for additional information.