Lefton Learning Community

Students with Disabilities

Physical Disabilities
Rosvelt Martain, Educational Support Services

Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides that:

no otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States ... shall, solely by reason of ... handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

This act mandates that all programs and activities in colleges and universities that receive any form of federal funding operate in a nondiscriminatory manner.

At the University of South Carolina, the Office of Educational Support Services provides disabled students with general and specialized services to achieve their academic potential in accordance with Section 504. These services include assistance with standard procedures such as admission, housing, and registration, as well as help, (tutoring, reading, interpreting, note-taking), as needed, with course-work.

New instructors often inquire of this office what special actions they should initiate to assist a wheel-chair bound or otherwise physically disabled student. We advise you to treat physically disabled students in a non-discriminatory manner; that is, treat them the same way as other students.

If a disabled student needs special accommodations in the class, he or she should initiate the request. Reasonable accommodations for physically disabled students include the following:

Being late to class (within reason) if mobility is a problem.
Needing extra time to complete an examination or assignment.
Needing to schedule an exam at a different time or place. The Educational Support Services Office can administer and proctor examinations for disabled students.
If the classroom is not accessible, the class will need to relocate to a building that is accessible for students.
If you feel that a disabled student is making an unreasonable request for a special accommodation, or if you have other questions or concerns about physically disabled students in your classroom, contact the Educational Support Services Office at 777-6742/6142.

Learning Disabilities
Richard Nagle - Department of Psychology

College students with learning disabilities are entitled to the same rights and protection as other students with more obvious disabilities. The University of South Carolina is committed to serving students with learning disabilities who have the potential for success in a competitive university setting.

Definition of Learning Disability

USC has adopted the federal definition of a learning disability which states that:

Students with specific learning disabilities. . . have a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. Such disorders include such conditions as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term. . . does include problems which are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic dis- advantage.

For students who have a diagnosed learning disability, the following classroom accommodations may be necessary and should be allowed:

Use of tape recorders for note-taking.
Adaptive test procedures such as extra time to complete tests, oral administration of tests and exams, or permission to take exams in a separate room with a proctor. Proctored tests should be coordinated with the Office of Educational Support Services, 777-6142/6742.
Adaptive assignments (differing in form, not in substance).
Access to calculators and dictionaries in the class- room and in test situations where appropriate.
On-going and more active monitoring of progress and student feedback.

If you suspect that a student in your class has a learning disability, do not attempt an amateur diagnosis. Rather, suggest that the individual schedule an appointment with Educational Support Services for appropriate diagnosis and assistance.