[Senate Hearing 113-721]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 113-721
PROMOTING COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
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HEARING
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION,
LABOR, AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
EXAMINING PROMOTING COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES
__________
FEBRUARY 27, 2014
__________
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COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
TOM HARKIN, Iowa, Chairman
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee
PATTY MURRAY, Washington MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming
BERNARD SANDERS (I), Vermont RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia
KAY R. HAGAN, North Carolina RAND PAUL, Kentucky
AL FRANKEN, Minnesota ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado PAT ROBERTS, Kansas
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin MARK KIRK, Illinois
CHRISTOPHER S. MURPHY, Connecticut TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts
Derek Miller, Staff Director
Lauren McFerran, Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel
David P. Cleary, Republican Staff Director
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
__________
STATEMENTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2014
Page
Committee Members
Harkin, Hon. Tom, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions, opening statement......................... 1
Alexander, Hon. Lamar, a U.S. Senator from the State of
Tennessee, opening statement................................... 2
Scott, Hon. Tim, a U.S. Senator from the State of South Carolina. 4
Baldwin, Hon. Tammy, a U.S. Senator from the State of Wisconsin.. 21
Casey, Hon. Robert P., Jr., a U.S. Senator from the State of
Pennsylvania................................................... 27
Murray, Hon. Patty, a U.S. Senator from the State of Washington.. 32
Warren, Hon. Elizabeth, a U.S. Senator from the State of
Massachusetts.................................................. 36
Witnesses
Emery-Arras, Melissa, Director of Education, Workforce, and
Income Security Issues, U.S. Accountability Office, Boston, MA. 5
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Ostrow, Laysha, MPP, Ph.D. Candidate, Student, Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD............... 7
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Fink, Dana, Assistant Project Coordinator, Institute for
Educational Leadership, Washington, DC......................... 9
Prepared statement........................................... 10
Farrior, Will, Student, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.... 11
Prepared statement........................................... 12
Getzel, Elizabeth Evans, Project Director, ACE-IT in College,
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA................. 14
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Myers, Katherine, Associate Director, Office of Disability
Services, Wright State University, Dayton, OH.................. 16
Prepared statement........................................... 17
(iii)
PROMOTING COLLEGE ACCESS AND SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2014
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:03 a.m. in
room SH-216, Hart Senate Office Building, Hon. Tom Harkin,
chairman of the committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Harkin, Murray, Casey, Franken, Baldwin,
Murphy, Warren, Alexander, and Scott.
Opening Statement of Senator Harkin
The Chairman. The Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions will come to order.
Today's roundtable discussion will focus on how students
with disabilities are accessing and succeeding in post-
secondary education. This roundtable marks our sixth in a
series to examine issues we plan to address in the upcoming
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, and our review of
this topic could not come at a better time.
According to just released research by the Pew Research
Center, the value of a college education has never been
greater. No matter how you measure it, young college graduates
do significantly better than their less-educated peers. College
graduates earn higher salaries. They are more likely to work
full-time, and they are less likely to be unemployed than their
peers who do not attend college.
Today, the income disparity between college graduates and
those with a high school diploma is wider than at any time
since this comparison was first tracked in 1965.
So as this committee examines how to improve educational
opportunities and outcomes for all Americans, we must remember
to include our fellow citizens with disabilities to ensure they
have access to post-secondary education and to succeed once
enrolled in those programs. To provide those opportunities, we
need to understand the barriers students with disabilities
face, and the services and supports that facilitate their
success.
Post-Secondary education is a primary goal for more than 80
percent of high school students with disabilities. Sixty
percent of young adults with disabilities enroll in post-
secondary education, compared to 67 percent of young adults
without a disability; so it is very close. Among those who
enroll in college, 41 percent graduate compared with 52 percent
of those without disabilities; so the gap widens. We must
better understand why students with disabilities are more
likely to dropout and what will attract them to both enroll and
to keep in school so that they are successful.
There is a great deal of diversity in the population of
college-age students with disabilities today, and the
accommodations that are required to meet their needs are just
as diverse.
A blind student may need printed materials in different
formats. A deaf student may need interpreters or captioning
services. A student with physical disabilities must be able to
navigate the campus. Students with psychiatric disabilities may
need confidential counseling and flexible timelines for
coursework completion to accommodate the often episodic nature
of their disabilities. And students with intellectual
disabilities need inclusive, on-campus college programs to
facilitate their continued learning, and their successful
transition from high school to post-secondary education. Once
students with disabilities arrive on campus, we need to ensure
they have the supports and services necessary.
So what should be the Federal role in promoting success of
college students with disabilities? Our panel of experts, who
have joined us today, will shed some light on that question. We
will hear from those closest to this question, program
administrators and students themselves. The students will share
some of the barriers they have faced, successes they have
achieved, and the supports and services that may have helped
them along the way. And, of course, I hope that all of you here
will provide us with suggestions. I read your testimonies last
night and I see that you do have some.
The young people with disabilities who now are attending
post-secondary programs are part of what I keep calling, ``The
ADA Generation.'' They have grown up with the Americans with
Disabilities Act, which promises them the kind of access and
opportunity denied to people with disabilities in the past.
They have been educated alongside their nondisabled peers. They
know that post-secondary education can open doors for them, and
they want their fair shot at the American dream. So I am eager
to hear from each of you about your experiences and what we
need to do in the Higher Education Act to support the success
of students with disabilities.
Our goal is to have an open discussion here; a roundtable
discussion, rather than a formal, on-the-dais kind of thing. So
we will have a good, open discussion on this.
Now I invite Senator Alexander for his opening statement.
Opening Statement of Senator Alexander
Senator Alexander. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
Senator Harkin has been, and is, the leading member of the
U.S. Senate in his concern for Americans with disabilities, and
so that makes this hearing especially important, not just to
him, but to all of us who are here.
We welcome you here. He and I were talking a little
earlier. We looked at the format here and we were trying to
figure out how we could get closer. We are not trying to
separate ourselves from you. We would like to actually be
closer, but we could not figure out a logical way to do it, but
we would like to have more of an informal atmosphere to this.
We do not want it to be a hearing; we want it to be more of a
discussion.
About 10 percent of our college students have a disability.
That is a lot of Americans; that would mean, maybe 40,000
students among Tennessee's 400,000 college students. So we are
talking about the concerns of lots of students.
A great many of our higher education institutions are
already distinguishing themselves as places that are attractive
for students with one kind of disability or another.
I know that when I was president of the University of
Tennessee, I heard regularly from parents and students about
the program at UT Chattanooga, which is called MoSAIC and it
supports students with autism, and it includes credit bearing
courses, academic life coaching, peer and faculty mentoring.
But word travels among families and students who are
dealing with a particular disability and they search out those
campuses that are friendly and inviting, which is one of the
great advantages of our system of higher education because of
Government support. About half our students have a grant or a
loan from the Federal Government to help them go to college
that follows the student to the institution of their choice. So
a student with a disability can select a college campus that is
a friendly environment.
Vanderbilt has a 2-year nonresidential certificate program
for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities
called Next Steps, and that includes individualized programs
for social skills, physical fitness, and job skills.
Senator Harkin has proposed some changes in the Vocational
Rehabilitation Act to make the process of going from high
school to college easier and that, we hope, finds its way into
law through the Workforce Investment Act. So what we are doing
here today are hearings about the reauthorization of the Higher
Education Act, and we want to make sure that as we do that, we
are sensitive to the needs of students with disabilities. We
look forward to hearing your advice about how best to do that.
Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Alexander.
Now, let me introduce our panelists who are here. I will go
down the line and then we will ask each of you to give a brief
statement.
First we have Melissa Emrey-Arras, Director of Education
issues in the Government Accountability Office, the GAO, Office
of Education, Workforce, and Income Security team. She has led
national studies on education issues ranging from student loans
to veterans' education benefits. Prior to coming to GAO in
2001, she worked at a private sector consulting company and led
projects on Medicaid and child welfare issues for State and
local clients.
Our second witness is from the State of Maryland, and that
would be Laysha Ostrow. Ms. Ostrow is a Ph.D. candidate at the
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and co-executive director
of the Lived Experience Research Network. Ms. Ostrow's
research, advocacy, and writing are focused on improving mental
health and social services particularly addressing innovative
practices in financing models and promoting the voice of
multiple stakeholders. She will share with us her experiences
with both the psychiatric system and the Social Security
disability system as they interact with higher education for
someone with a psychiatric disability.
Then we will hear from Ms. Fink. Dana Fink is an assistant
project coordinator at the Institute for Educational Leadership
Center for Workforce Development. In this role, she supports
the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for
Youth and D.C. Advocacy Partners. A graduate of the University
of Illinois and while there, I am told, she was a two-time
wheelchair basketball national champion--well, all right--and
an Academic All-American. Ms. Fink also served as a summer
intern on the HELP committee and we welcome you back here.
Maybe you did not think you would come back as a witness, but
nice to have you back.
Our next person is from South Carolina, and I am going to
turn to Senator Scott for the purpose of introduction.
Statement of Senator Scott
Senator Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I am very pleased to introduce William Farrior as one of
our witnesses today. Mr. Farrior is 26 years old from Ravenel,
SC in the Low country, and he has worked very hard to now be a
senior at the College of Charleston. I am looking forward to
being your graduation speaker this year. I am sorry for you, by
the way.
[Laughter.]
William is an inspiring example of the great things that
can happen when each and every student is given the chance to
realize his or her full potential.
William was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was in the
eighth grade, which has created many challenges for him. After
he graduated from high school in 2006, he had a tough time at a
community college due to his disability and to death in his
family.
When school did not work out, William found himself
drifting between entry level jobs. Thankfully, William was able
to enroll into the REACH program at the College of Charleston
which has now opened up a whole new world of possibilities and
opportunities for an amazing future that you will have.
William has now had the opportunity to intern at Blackbaud,
which is a fantastic company in the Low country of South
Carolina, at the YMCA, the YWCA, and in public relations at the
Medical University of South Carolina, just to name a few, which
has done amazing things in helping him to hone his skills to
prepare him for a career in his chosen field of communications.
Mr. Farrior, his testimony today, will show us all the
importance of giving every student, every young person a chance
to reach their full and highest potential, and to help us
engage in a broader conversation about ensuring access as we
move forward on a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
William, thank you for being here, sir.
Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Scott, and we
welcome Mr. Farrior.
Next, we will hear from Ms. Elizabeth Getzel, the director
of the ``ACE-IT in College'' program at Virginia Commonwealth
University, another one of the TPSID programs that we just
heard about at the College of Charleston. TPSID stands for
Transition and Post-Secondary Programs for Students with
Intellectual Disabilities. It is much easier to say as TPSID.
TPSID was part of the reauthorization of HEA in 2008. With my
other hat, as the chair of the Appropriations subcommittee, we
have been funding TPSID for the past 5 years. I am anxious to
hear about both of the TPSID programs.
Ms. Getzel's research includes effective strategies for the
inclusion of college students with disabilities, career
planning, and preparation. She has authored or co-authored
numerous journals articles and co-edited a book entitled
``Going to College: Expanding Opportunities for People with
Disabilities.''
Our final witness is Katherine Myers, associate director of
the Office of Disability Services at Wright State University. I
read a lot about Wright State last evening. Wright State
University has a long history of providing high quality
services and supports to its students with disabilities. During
her 19 years at Wright State, she has been responsible for
running the technology center, which provides textbooks and
course materials in alternative formats, as well as a variety
of other computer-related adaptations. Ms. Myers has also
worked closely with students who use communication devices.
We have a great panel of experts and people who have
experience with our topic. What I would like to do is ask you
to make short statements. I have all your statements. They will
be made a part of the record in their entirety. Can you give us
a brief statement about what you think is the most important
thing that you want us to know, and then we will just start
discussing things. OK?
Ms. Emrey-Arras, go ahead.
STATEMENT OF MELISSA EMREY-ARRAS, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION,
WORKFORCE, AND INCOME SECURITY ISSUES,
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, BOSTON, MA
Ms. Emrey-Arras. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member
Alexander, and members of the committee for inviting me to
participate in today's roundtable discussion.
My remarks today will summarize GAO's prior work on this
important topic.
As Senator Alexander mentioned, national data shows that
just over 10 percent of post-secondary students have
disabilities. Common disabilities include mental health
conditions, attention deficit disorders, and mobility
impairments.
Based on our interviews with students, parents, and school
officials, the transition from high school to college can be a
challenging one for those with disabilities. Many students with
disabilities are accustomed to certain accommodations while
they are in high school. As Senator Harkin mentioned, there are
various things that can be done to assist with the learning
process.
Oftentimes, students go to campus for the first time
expecting those accommodations that they were used to, to
already be in place because that is what they have had all
along, and they are quite often surprised when those are not
already there for them. While colleges are, in fact,
responsible for providing reasonable accommodations for
students, students really do need to initiate the process when
it begins at the college level. And to do that, they need to
first self-identify as having a disability, and then obtain
updated evaluations to support their request for a disability
accommodation, and then officially make that request.
Some students may choose not to disclose their disabilities
initially. They may do so perhaps later on in the semester
after they have fallen behind, which can create issues for
them. Others may have trouble obtaining updated evaluations. It
can often be costly to obtain updated evaluations, and there
can also be long waits for appointments. So those are
additional barriers that students face in transitioning to
college and receiving those really critical accommodations for
their learning.
In our work, we did find that schools were reaching out to
students and their parents to help them learn about their
rights and responsibilities regarding the accommodation
process. And we also did find cases of schools actively helping
students obtain lower cost evaluations. Some of them were using
the resources on campus in terms of their mental health
facilities, their departments of psychology and the like, to
provide those kinds of evaluations on campus for students to
assist them in obtaining the needed documentation to get their
requests in order.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Senator Alexander, and members
of the committee. This concludes my formal remarks. I am
looking forward to today's discussion.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Emrey-Arras follows:]
Prepared Statement of Melissa Emrey-Arras
Thank you Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Alexander, and members of
the committee, for inviting me to participate in this roundtable
discussion on promoting college access and success for students with
disabilities. My remarks today will summarize GAO's prior work on these
students as they navigate the transition to post-secondary education.
The work upon which this statement is based was conducted in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards. To conduct this
work, GAO analyzed Federal survey data from the National Post-Secondary
Student Aid Study, and conducted interviews with agency officials,
school officials, students, and parents. Further details about the
scope and methodology can be found in each of these related products.
Our prior work has noted that the overall population of
post-secondary students with disabilities appears to have increased,
rising to 11 percent of students. About a quarter of students with
disabilities have reported having a mental, emotional or psychiatric
condition. Other common types of disabilities reported by post-
secondary students include attention deficit disorder, mobility
impairments, and learning disabilities. Demographically, we found that
students with disabilities closely mirror students without
disabilities, but are slightly more likely to attend college part-time.
Two Federal laws protect the rights of students with
disabilities in post-secondary education--Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act) and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The Rehabilitation Act prohibits
discrimination by institutions of higher education that receive Federal
financial assistance, such as Federal financial aid. The ADA covers a
broader range of schools, including State and locally funded and
private-sector schools.
Regarding enforcement of these laws, the Department of
Justice can pursue any complaints it receives alleging discrimination
under the ADA, regardless of the funding status of the respondent. The
Department of Education can pursue complaints filed against schools
receiving financial assistance from the agency at the time of the
alleged discrimination. The Department of Education also provides
grants and technical assistance to support students with disabilities
in the transition to college.
Our prior work has identified several key challenges faced by
students with disabilities, as well as post-secondary schools:
The Transition to College Poses Challenges for Students
and Schools. The transition from high school to post-secondary school
presents challenges for students with disabilities because they must
assume more responsibility for their education. In contrast to
elementary and secondary school, they must identify themselves as
having a disability, provide documentation of their disability, and
request accommodations and services from their post-secondary
institution. According to our work, this transition can be overwhelming
and difficult for students to understand. Schools also face challenges
related to this. Many schools proactively conduct outreach to students
with disabilities and their parents to inform them of their rights and
responsibilities, but reaching all students is difficult. This can
become problematic if students request accommodations after classes
have begun, as they may have fallen behind academically, and
accommodations can take time to put in place.
Students Also Reported Challenges Documenting their
Disability to Obtain Accommodations. Many students with disabilities
are accustomed to certain accommodations or adaptive technologies and
begin college to find they are not automatically provided for them in
college. In many cases, colleges require updated disability evaluations
conducted by qualified professionals. These evaluations can be costly
and there may be long wait lists for appointments, which can cause
delays for students who must wait for accommodations. Some schools
reported providing assistance to students in obtaining evaluations at
lower cost.
Three Student Populations May Create Additional Challenges
for Schools.
(1) Veterans with Newly Acquired Disabilities: Many veterans
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from conditions such as
traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, which are
difficult to diagnose. Symptoms may not surface immediately after such
injuries, but may instead manifest themselves once these students have
already begun classes.
(2) Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Students with
intellectual disabilities--such as developmental disabilities or
autism--are a population that schools believe will increase in the
coming years. These students often require more specialized services
that schools typically lack experience in providing, and may also need
additional classes to address life skills, financial skills, or
employment training.
(3) Students with Mental Illness: Students with mental illness
usually require multiple supports, and colleges may have difficulty
coordinating accommodations and other benefits to support them. These
students, whose disabilities are less visible, may also be among a
group that chooses not to disclose their disability or seek
accommodations until classes have already begun, resulting in service
gaps.
In recent years, GAO has made recommendations to several
Federal agencies, including the Department of Education, and the
Department of Justice, to address some of these challenges, for
example, by improving coordination among Federal agencies providing
services and strengthening enforcement efforts related to testing
accommodations.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, this
concludes my remarks. I am happy to take any questions.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
Ms. Ostrow.
STATEMENT OF LAYSHA OSTROW, MPP, Ph.D., CANDIDATE, STUDENT,
JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, BALTIMORE, MD
Ms. Ostrow. Thank you so much for having me here today.
I can briefly summarize my written testimony. I was first
in an inpatient psychiatric unit when I was 14-years-old and
labeled with bipolar disorder and had multiple psychiatric
system involvements after that.
My freshman year of high school, I was in public school and
my parents were asked to take me out because of my disability.
From there, I was in several different high schools, eventually
ending up in a residential treatment facility for girls with
emotional and behavioral problems. I was there for 2\1/2\ years
and technically graduated from my public school with very
little actual education in high school.
From there, I went to a private 4-year university in
Massachusetts. I was integrated into a normal college setting.
I am able to secure accommodations because I have had
neuropsychiatric testing in high school having been a special
education student. It is often, as Ms. Emrey-Arras said, more
difficult for collage students to do that at that time if they
have not had that testing in high school because of the
resources that are required, or not wanting to disclose, or
seek accommodations because of discrimination.
In graduate school, I founded the first national support
group for graduate students with psychiatric disabilities and
from there created the Lived Experience Research Network, which
is a student mental health service users survivor-run
organization to support students of psychiatric disabilities.
I found through my personal experience and my advocacy and
research that despite the challenges I faced, there are many
far more widespread and really disheartening experiences that
people with psychiatric disabilities face in the education
system, in the higher education system, and in high school, and
as far as graduate school as well.
These students often face discrimination, self-stigma, a
public stigma, fear of stigma from faculty, and from
administrators, and other students that prevent them from
requesting accommodations. They may not even be familiar with
their rights as people with disabilities.
So based on my experiences, and advocacy work with other
students, I would recommend three areas in need of attention in
terms of policy.
The first would be policies that facilitate grassroots
organizing by students for independent, mutual support and
self, and systems advocacy.
The second would be institutional policy change including
education about accommodations tailored to students with
psychiatric disabilities. It can also be very different because
they are, ``invisible'' disabilities.
The third would be ensuring confidentiality and privacy in
campus counseling centers, oversight of involuntary leave
policies to prevent schools from dismissing students based on
mental health problems, particularly suicidality. And critical
investigations of consequences of stigmatizing policies that
come from increasing student surveillance.
The role of institutions of higher education is to
facilitate intellectual growth of students, not punish them for
their struggles. As we saw in a recent ``Newsweek'' article
that the students are being penalized for suffering and not
supported in pursuing education. I think the mental health
problems should be somewhat separated from the education as
education is a right for all of our citizens.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Ostrow follows:]
Prepared Statement of Laysha Ostrow, MPP, Ph.D. Candidate
My name is Laysha Ostrow. I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Johns
Hopkins School of Public Health and the co-executive director of the
Lived Experience Research Network. I was hospitalized in a psychiatric
unit for the first time when I was 14 years old, and labeled with
bipolar disorder. In high school I was in a residential treatment
facility for girls with emotional and behavioral problems for 2\1/2\
years. As an undergraduate I was able to secure accommodations
primarily because of neuropsychiatric test results obtained as a
secondary school student. This kind of testing is often unavailable to
college students who first experience problems after high school.
During my junior year of college I took a medical leave for depression.
When I tried to return to school, I was discouraged from pursuing
higher education by university clinicians, leading me to drop out.
Subsequently I was declared permanently disabled and was on SSDI. I
finished my Bachelor's degree when I was 26. Because of these
experiences and experiences of colleagues, I co-founded the only
national support group for graduate and doctoral students with
psychiatric disabilities in 2011. Through participation in the group I
became aware of even more widespread and often devastating
discrimination and lack of support at both the undergraduate and
graduate levels. My organization's Discrimination in Higher Education
research and advocacy project has further documented the degree of
discrimination and marginalization that students all too often face, as
has the recent Newsweek headline story How Colleges Flunk Mental
Health. Research confirms these reports: in a national post-secondary
survey, for example, over 50 percent of students reported
discrimination or stigma in the process of requesting accommodations.
Researchers working in higher education have noted that few
universities have the expertise or experience to support students with
psychiatric disabilities, even though this group is one of the largest
disability groups in higher education.
Based on my experiences and advocacy work with other students I
recommend three major areas in need of attention: (1) policies that
facilitate grassroots organizing by students for independent mutual
support and self- and systems-advocacy; (2) institutional policy
change, including education about accommodations tailored to students
with psychiatric disabilities; (3) ensuring confidentiality and privacy
in campus counseling settings, oversight of involuntary leave policies
to prevent schools from dismissing students, and critical
investigations of the consequences of stigmatizing policies to increase
student surveillance.
The role of institutions of higher education is to facilitate
intellectual growth of students--not punish them for their struggles.
Education policy should not be focused on us as sick members of society
needing treatment, but individuals with disabilities with a right to
education and employment.
The Chairman. Thank you and it is very profound. Thank you
very much.
Dana Fink, please.
STATEMENT OF DANA FINK, ASSISTANT PROJECT COORDINATOR,
INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, WASHINGTON, DC
Ms. Fink. Good morning, Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member
Alexander, and members of the committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak about this critical
topic with which I have personal and professional experiences.
First to note about me is I am a person with multiple
disabilities. I have had my physical disability since birth, as
well as an anxiety disability acquired during college.
Since graduation, I have worked to support transition paths
for youth with disabilities into post-secondary education and
the world of work. My current role, as you mentioned, at the
Institute for Educational Leadership, I support a technical
assistance center aiming to better serve all youth, including
youth with disabilities, and a program training families and
self-advocates to influence policy for people with disabilities
throughout the District of Columbia.
It is through these experiences that I have seen young
people with disabilities be unable to obtain necessary services
and supports throughout transition. It is with these supports
that we know they can and will become contributing members of
their communities, but without them, prospects are grim.
I am also very proud to be a 2010 graduate of the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. There was always an
expectation in my family that I would graduate and go on to
college, just as my two older sisters had before me. But in
looking at some of the universities that they attended, it
became clear that they could not provide the supports that I
would need to be successful.
A recent National Longitudinal Study by the Department of
Education's Office of Special Education Programs, OSEP, showed
completion rates for students with disabilities at 34 percent
compared with 51 percent in the general population. Of those
who lacked, reasons were varied, but included cost, poor
grades, changing schools, and not getting needed services. I
know that it is only due to the supports and services I
received at my university that I was a part of that 34 percent.
I was fortunate to be accepted into the University of
Illinois, receiving a scholarship to play on the school's
wheelchair basketball team, one of four such opportunities for
women in the U.S. Illinois has been a leader in accommodations
for students with disabilities since Dr. Nugent founded the
university's disability student service center in 1948 ushering
numerous firsts for students with disabilities since.
I look forward to having an opportunity to share with you
many of these best practices with the committee today, as well
as some of the barriers that I have, unfortunately, seen faced
by many of our Nation's brightest and most hardworking
individuals with disabilities that have been unable to see
success in post-secondary education and on into the world of
work.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Fink follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dana Fink
Good Morning Senator Harkin, Senator Alexander, and committee
members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about this critical
topic with which I have personal and professional experiences. First to
note about me is that I am a person with multiple disabilities. I've
had my physical disability since birth as well as an anxiety disability
acquired during college. Since graduation I have worked to support
transition paths for youth with disabilities into post-secondary
education and the world of work. In my current role at the Institute
for Educational Leadership, I support a national technical assistance
center aiming to better serve all youth, including youth with
disabilities and a program training families and self-advocates to
influence policy for people with disabilities throughout the District
of Columbia. It's through these experiences, that I've seen young
people with disabilities be unable to obtain necessary services and
supports throughout transition. It is with these supports we know they
can and will become contributing members of their communities, but
without them, prospects are grim.
I am very proud to be a 2010 graduate of University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign. There was always an expectation in my family I would
graduate and go on to college, as had my older sisters prior, but in
looking at universities they attended, it became clear they could not
provide supports I would need to be successful. A recent National
Longitudinal Study by Department of Education's Office of Special
Education Programs showed completion rates for people with disabilities
at 34 percent compared with 51 percent in the general population. Of
those who left, reasons were varied but included, cost, poor grades,
changing schools, and not getting needed services.
In high school, I researched schools to fit my needs and enrolled
immediately in Georgia vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. I was
told by my assigned VR counselor I was not a candidate for services
because my disability did not have direct impact on my desired career
choice, which at that time, was journalism. When my mother asked what
would happen if I wanted to be a tap dancer, I was told instantly that
would qualify me for services. This obviously did not sit right with us
and through research we discovered the Client Assistance Program
through which I was able to seek a more qualified VR counselor. I
repeated this process again when my counselor was unable to support me
going to an out-of-state school. Unfortunately, this lack of awareness
from VR is a story that I've heard too many times and most students and
families are not aware that they can appeal the process so they miss
out on what allowed me to be successful in college.
I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the University of
Illinois, receiving a scholarship to play on the school's wheelchair
basketball team (one of four such opportunities for women in the United
States). Illinois has been a leader in accommodations for students with
disabilities since Dr. Tim Nugent founded the university's disability
student service center in 1948, ushering in numerous firsts for
students with disabilities. This scholarship was a financial burden
lifted for my family; but I had other costs, specifically related to my
healthcare needs, so I established eligibility for Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid which provided me with necessary
healthcare coverage, while simultaneously limiting my asset limit to
$2,000. Without my scholarship, attending an out-of-state university
would have been an impossibility, even with programs like Ticket to
Work and the Plan to Achieve Self Sufficiency plans aimed at
alleviating this issue. Additional issues cropped up with SSI
limitations when I tried to participate in learning experiences such as
study abroad and out-of-state internships. For me, SSI played a strong
role in helping me achieve my educational goals; however, for too many
young people it becomes a life-long parking lot.
Despite the barriers illustrated, more and more students with
disabilities are enrolling in post-secondary education and discovering
a higher education system not ready to accommodate them. We're seeing
students who don't know their rights when they are no longer getting
IEP services and understaffed, underfunded disability student service
centers are more focused on legal compliance than supporting students
in college and future employment.
Again, I was fortunate to attend my university where the disability
student center had so many of the supports I and my peers needed to be
successful including: assistive technology, note taking, priority
registration, testing accommodations, interpreters, tutoring, and
onsite clinical psychologists. The academic accommodations at Illinois
do not stop on campus. All their online and distance learning classes
are automatically captioned. Their comprehensive commitment to
inclusion also applies to career transitions services. Staff saw higher
education as a stepping stone toward gainful employment, hosting
workshops on disability disclosure and employment issues, providing
career assessments, and bringing in organizations seeking employees and
interns with disabilities. Unfortunately, this level of commitment to
serving students with disabilities is not the case in far too many of
our Nation's colleges and universities.
Access at Illinois also included access to the other components
that make up a true college experience, including recreation, study
abroad, integrated housing accommodations, transportation, and
healthcare. I got a top-notch education and, because of these supports,
I left college prepared for work and independent living.
If I could sum up a few recommendations for the committee to
consider, I would encourage:
Working with existing Federal and State programs to
provide students with disabilities an even playing field to afford
college including creating clarity with asset limitations and opening
minority and diversity scholarships up to students with disabilities,
arguably the most underrepresented minority in higher education.
Starting transition programming earlier so students are
knowledgeable of how their rights and responsibilities will change in
higher education and what services are available to them.
Improving disability student services with increased staff
and better integration into other areas of universities such as career
center, tutoring services, and study abroad offices.
Thank you for your time and for allowing me to share my story
today.
The Chairman. Thanks, Dana. Thank you very much. Welcome
back.
Mr. Farrior, welcome. Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF WILL FARRIOR, STUDENT, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON,
CHARLESTON, SC
Mr. Farrior. Good morning, Chairman Harkin, Senator
Alexander, and other committee members.
I must say what an honor it is here to be talking to you
this morning. My name is Will Farrior. I am a 26-year-old
College of Charleston senior at the College of Charleston's
REACH program. I major at the College of Communication.
A disability that refers to my uniqueness is called
Asperger syndrome. In elementary school, I was able to function
like everyone else. In fifth and sixth grade, my parents
started to see red flags that included, excuse me, 7 hours of
homework as well as observing my interaction with peers and
adults. In eighth grade, I was diagnosed with Asperger
syndrome.
My experience at the REACH program has been an amazing one
for several different reasons including my professors, job
opportunities, and social activities. I was fortunate to have
the opportunity to learn more about my uniqueness by being able
to take Introduction to Psychology and Interpersonal
Communications which has given me a better understanding to
grasp and explain to others.
The part I enjoy most about being in the program is that I
have been able to take a variety of courses that have led me to
my passion and field of choice. These classes include
Introduction to Education, personal finance, public speaking,
women and gender studies, strategic communications, business
ethics, event planning, and many others. These courses
eventually helped me to enhance my strengths and understand my
weaknesses.
For example when I was younger, I would ramble on and on, I
would never pick up on body language, or be more concise when
talking to others.
The two things that are the second most marvelous part of
being in the program is the job opportunities and social
activities that come along with it. In order to graduate from
the program, I must do some internships. The internships
include the admissions office, Blackbaud, YMCA, Metanoia,
Communities In Schools, and Medical University of South
Carolina's public relations office. While having the chance to
work with a variety of jobs, I was able to discover what
direction I want to steer my career, which is youth.
My social experience at the College has been an amazing
one, as have my job opportunities. I have been able to change
and grow by being more aware of how to interact with people
along with participating in multiple organizations and jobs
that are part of the campus. These include summer orientation
intern, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity, mascot,
Ambassador, resident hall assistant, and member of the
Charleston 40 Tour Guide Association.
Overall, my years at the College of Charleston's REACH
program have been the best years of my life. The simple fact is
that I have been able to grasp my uniqueness while teaching and
learning from others around me. Also by being part of this
program, I am able to be more confident knowing that I can find
a career that I love and can make a difference.
Thank you and it is a privilege.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Farrior follows:]
Prepared Statement of Will Farrior
Good morning Chairman Harkin and Senator Alexander and other
members of the committee. I must say what an honor it is to be here
talking to you this morning. My name is Will Farrior and I am a 26-
year-old senior at the College of Charleston's REACH program. My major
at the college is communications. I am originally from Brooklyn, NY but
was raised in a small town called Ravenel, SC about 45 minutes outside
Charleston. My disability that I refer as to my uniqueness is called
Asperger Syndrome. Between the age of 6 and 10 I was just like your
average child and student making A's and B's while participating in
extra-curricular activities. These include Cub Scouts and sports.
During the transition stages of me going to different schools my
parents started to recognize certain signs of me struggling in 5th and
6th grade. The red flags that brought this attention toward them
included doing homework from 5 p.m. to maybe 12 a.m. or 1 a.m. as well
as observing my interactions with peers and adults.
Eventually, I went to numerous doctors who tried to figure out what
my actual situation was. It was not until my 8th grade year that I was
diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. The Doctor told my parents that I do
not have ADD or ADHD. Now, I always knew there was something different
about me, but I never could figure it out until I got into my late
teens.
I graduated high school in 2006. The following spring semester of
my first year in college at Trident Tech, was the most dramatic year of
my life because my father died a month later after my birthday. During
that semester I could not seem to concentrate on academics or anything
else. While going through a lot I eventually got a full-time job which
turned out to be the night shift at Charleston Air Force Base as a
custodian. Then after working with them for about 2\1/2\ years, I
switched over to Super Wal-Mart as a stocker in dairy just for about 7
months. My life then changed when I learned about the REACH program.
My experience at the REACH program has been an amazing one for
several different reasons, including the professors, job opportunities,
and social activities. During freshmen year I was so fortunate to have
the opportunity to learn more about my uniqueness by being able to take
introduction to psychology and interpersonal communications. The
professors Dr. May and Dr. McGee were able to give me a better
understanding of my uniqueness to grasp it and explain it to others who
never met me before. The part I enjoyed most about being in the program
is that I have been able to take a variety of courses that have led me
to my passion and field of choice. These classes include introduction
to education, personal finance, advanced personal finance, introduction
to business, public speaking, women and gender studies, graphic novel,
strategic communication, business ethics, event planning, and many
others. These courses eventually helped me to enhance my strengths and
understand my weaknesses. For example when I was younger I would ramble
on and on and I would never pick up on body language, or be more
concise when talking to other individuals.
The two things that are the second most marvelous part of being in
the program to me is the job opportunities and social activities that
come along with it. In order to graduate from the program I have to do
seven internships which don't start until your second semester. The
internships that I have been able to enjoy are in the Admission office,
Black Baud, YMCA, YWCA, Metanoia, Communities In Schools, and the
Medical University of South Carolina's Public Relations office. While
having the chance to work with a variety of jobs, I was able to
discover what direction to steer my major and career toward in the near
future. The career path I have chosen is to work with youth from ages
11 and up by helping them make a smooth transition from middle school
to high school then to college or whatever direction he or she may
choose to take.
My social experience at the College of Charleston has been just as
amazing as my job opportunities. For example being here I have been
able to change and grow by being more aware of how to interact with
other people along with participating in multiple organizations and
jobs that are part of the campus. These include being the first REACH
student to be a Summer Orientation Intern, Alpha Kappa Psi Business
Fraternity member, College of Charleston Mascot, College of Charleston
Student Ambassador, REACH Ambassador, Residence Hall Assistant, Nominee
for Homecoming King and member of the Charleston 40 Tour Guide
Association.
Overall, my years here at the College of Charleston's REACH program
have been the best years of my life. The simple fact is that I have
been able to grasp my uniqueness while teaching and learning from
others around me. Also having been part of this program I am more
confident knowing that I can find a career that I love and can make a
difference.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Farrior. Are you graduating
this spring?
Mr. Farrior. Yes, sir. I graduate May 10, 2014.
The Chairman. Good for you. OK.
Senator Alexander. Senator Scott is his graduation speaker.
The Chairman. Oh, he is?
Senator Alexander. Yes.
The Chairman. So you are giving the commencement address
there, eh?
Senator Scott. Unfortunately for him, yes, sir, I am.
[Laughter.]
Congratulations.
Mr. Farrior. Thank you.
The Chairman. Well, make sure you single him out.
Senator Scott. I will do that.
The Chairman. Ms. Getzel, welcome. Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH EVANS GETZEL, PROJECT DIRECTOR, ACE-IT
IN COLLEGE, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA
Ms. Getzel. Thank you.
It is a privilege to be here today to discuss the access to
post-secondary education for students with disabilities. I have
been in the field of higher education and disability since
1979, and have worked to research and demonstrate effective
strategies and supports for college students with disabilities.
I am the project director of ACE-IT in College, which is an
academic and employment preparation program for individuals
with intellectual disabilities. Our university is 1 of 27
Transition and Post-Secondary Education Programs for Students
with Intellectual Disabilities, or as Senator Harkin said,
TPSID. These are model demonstration programs that were
authorized through the Higher Education Act.
Colleges and universities are seeking models of support for
all students entering their campuses. Peer mentoring or mentors
who provide academic support are not uncommon. Internships,
cooperative education, or other work experience-based programs
are an integral part of all college students' experiences
preparing them to compete in the global economy.
These same types of supports are being used throughout the
TPSID programs to provide opportunities for students with
intellectual disabilities whose access to higher education is
extremely limited.
Model demonstrations pure to TPSID's are creating
opportunities for students to develop interests and skills for
lifelong learning, build a successful resume through
internships and paid employment while on campus, and enter
integrated competitive employment settings as a result of these
experiences. The combination of knowledge and skills students
gain through these demonstrations can serve to enhance their
future employment options and lifelong earnings.
For me, a young woman named Susan, one of our most recent
graduates, comes to mind. Susan earned a special diploma and
had limited work experience while in high school. She was very
clear when she entered ACE-IT in College that her career goal
was to work with children. She took courses in early childhood
education, worked part-time at our University's child
development center, and worked as an intern at a local
elementary school.
The coursework and experiences she gained helped her to
develop a strong resume, making her more competitive in the
workforce. Susan's experiences echoes the experiences of many
other students with intellectual disabilities attending college
programs across the country.
I look forward to talking further about some of the
recommendations that we would like to discuss with you in terms
of the continuation of these particular programs because we see
them as vital for this particular population that typically has
limited access to many experiences that other individuals are
able to have.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Getzel follows:]
Prepared Statement of Elizabeth Evans Getzel
Employment rates for all individuals with disabilities can range
from 34 percent to 39 percent in comparison to the employment rate of
76 percent to 79 percent for individuals without disabilities. For
individuals with intellectual disabilities, the rate of employment has
declined over the past 5 years. In 2008, the rate of employment was
reported at 28 percent, while recent numbers show it is anywhere from
18 percent to 23 percent. The downward employment trend in this
population will not improve until new ways are found to meaningfully
integrate these individuals into the labor force.
We know that higher education can lead to a variety of personal and
financial benefits for all individuals seeking to learn new knowledge
and skills. Advanced learning can lead to improved outcomes for all
individuals; but the impact of higher education on individuals with
disabilities is particularly evident. Individuals with intellectual
disabilities who participate in any post-secondary education experience
(not necessarily earning a degree or certificate) are employed at
double the rate of those with just a high school diploma. Based on
national data gathered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration,
young adults with intellectual disabilities who participated in post-
secondary education were 26 percent more likely to exit their
vocational rehabilitation program with employment and earned a 73
percent higher weekly income.
In 2008, Congress created a new model demonstration program, the
Transition and Post-Secondary Education Programs for Students with
Intellectual Disability (TPSIDs) and an accompanying National
Coordinating Center. These programs began in 2010 and were awarded to
institutes of higher education that sought to demonstrate and validate
this emerging pathway to increased integrated competitive employment
and lifelong learning. Prior to 2008, there was no guidance provided to
the field of higher education and disability on programs for
individuals with intellectual disabilities. The data collected from the
27 Transition and Post-Secondary Education Programs for Students with
Intellectual Disability (TPSID) by the National Coordinating Center
provide the first national picture of how students with intellectual
disabilities can attend college and derive the same benefits sought and
achieved by other college students. Since its inception in 2010, the
percentage of paid jobs held by TPSID participants while in college
increased steadily from 30 percent to 36 percent, with the majority of
these individuals earning minimum wage or higher. Close to half of
these students with paid jobs had never worked prior to attending their
TPSID program. When compared to the previously stated low employment
rates, students with intellectual disabilities who attend college far
exceed these rates, clearly demonstrating that post-secondary education
is a viable pathway to employment.
We know that all students with disabilities can benefit from
participating in college with the right supports and accommodations,
and students with intellectual disabilities are no different. We are at
a critical juncture for the continuation of the Transition and Post-
Secondary Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability.
These programs are about increasing the employment and the long-term
earnings of students with intellectual disabilities. In the past 3
years, data from the 27 programs are showing increased access to paid
employment, internships, and college coursework that can lead to better
employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual
disabilities. Continued funding is necessary to expand and sustain
access to inclusive higher education in 2- and 4-year colleges,
universities and technical schools. It is important that research is
conducted to discern both the long-term fiscal impact on higher
education institutions, as well as the potential reduction in Federal
assistance program dependency as a result of these opportunities.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Getzel.
And now we will finish up, Ms. Myers. Welcome. Please
proceed.
STATEMENT OF KATHERINE MYERS, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF
DISABILITY SERVICES, WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY, DAYTON, OH
Ms. Myers. Good morning, Chairman Harkin, and Ranking
Member Alexander, and members of the committee.
Thank you very much for this opportunity to be here this
morning to talk about higher education.
To understand Wright State University and what we do now,
it is important to have a little bit of our history. The
University is quite young. We were established in 1967. The
Office of Disability Services was established in 1970 as a
result of the receipt of a TRIO Grant to start the program.
It started out in a dorm room in the only dorm that we had
on campus. This was before anything was mandated by law. We
already had students with physical disabilities on campus
because the first building that we had was actually built with
a flush entrance. So that actually helped to get the first
student with a physical disability on the campus.
As a result of that, a commitment started to provide
services to students with disabilities. Over the years, as our
population has changed, we have increased the services and
increased our staff. We are very fortunate that our commitment
is from our top level support. We have very strong support and
have had since the inception of the department, support from
our president, our provost, and we are with student affairs,
and under our vice president of student affairs. So we have
very strong support within the University.
As a young University, the faculty that we had at that time
also as they were growing with us, they grew with the
Department of Disability Services. So they were also very much
for what we were doing and helped us with providing our
accommodations.
We have adjusted our accommodations based on our
population. When we got our first students with learning
disabilities and our first students with blindness is when we
established our tape center to tape record textbooks into audio
formats for our students.
When I arrived about 20 years ago--it will be 20 years in
May--I was in charge of the tape center and also in charge of
the adaptive technology on the campus. We were reading
textbooks at the time, but it did not take very long for us to
get our first request for a scanned book by a student with a
physical disability who could not manipulate his textbooks. He
needed to be able to access them on his computer, so we started
doing scanned books for him.
Then we had--I will never forget the day--we had a student
named Brock, who came into the office who was using our tape
recorded books. We also used a service from Recording for the
Blind and Dyslexic. If they had the books, we did not actually
produce them ourselves; we ordered them from them. And he came
in asking if we had read the book for psychology. He had a
physical disability. What was preventing him from succeeding in
his classes was his attention deficit disorder. It was so
significant for him that he had a very hard time flipping the
tapes over constantly for the 4-track tapes from Recordings for
the Blind. Unfortunately, we had not read the book. We had
gotten it from them. However, we had scanned the book and it
was a very rough scan. It was not cleaned up. It had not been
edited yet and I offered that to him.
A few days later he came back in and he said, ``For the
first time, I have been able to study for more than 15 minutes
at a time.'' The student went from a very marginal C student to
an A/B student who graduated with honors from Wright State,
went on to get his master's degree, and then complete his Ph.D.
That told me we were on the right track.
One of the things as part of our history, too, is the
establishment of the AHEAD organization. In 1977, the first
conference on disabled students on American campuses was held
at Wright State University. The attendees of that conference
formed the Association on Handicapped Student Service Programs
in Post-Secondary Education. In 1992, the organization was
renamed to the Association of Higher Education and Disability,
also known as AHEAD. This is the organization that we use to
help us with our guidelines as to what kinds of services that
we do and the documentation that we need. They have done an
excellent job of assisting in that realm for us, so that we
actually have guidelines to follow.
The program has gone from, in 1970, being in a dorm room
with one person, to an office suite in our student union with
seven professional staff, three support staff. Our professional
staff includes a psychologist who works on assessing students
if needed. She also has three School of Professional Psychology
practicum students that are under her, and help with testing
students, and provide some mental health counseling. We also
have one graduate student for the technology center.
So our growth is great. We have gone from providing just
test proctoring for students to providing test proctoring that
includes extra times when needed, computers with both adaptive
hardware and software. And then we also have note-taking
programs for students within the classroom, interpreters in C-
Print when needed for our students who are deaf or hard of
hearing. Our technology center provides textbooks in
alternative formats that include CD's for them to listen to,
text files that they can put on their computers to listen to,
or a PDF file so they can just look at the materials, and
Braille. And we do all the formats of Braille, which include
the regular Grade 2 contracted Braille, computer Braille,
foreign language, math, and music.
It is a great privilege to be here and to share our
recommendations on the things that we would like to see happen.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Myers follows:]
Prepared Statement of Katherine Myers
At Wright State University, we provide services to approximately
650 students with disabilities. Nationally, roughly 11 percent of
college students have disabilities and 6 percent request services. Much
like other college or university campuses, the fastest growing group of
students with disabilities is those students on the Autism spectrum and
those with mental health-related diagnoses. For our students on the
Autism spectrum, we have developed an academic coaching program. We
hire upper-level undergraduate and graduate students to be mentors; we
train them how to work with a student on the spectrum, and assign them
to new incoming students who need improvement in key skill areas. The
students can meet with their assigned mentor up to 10 hours per week,
working on ``soft skills,'' such as time management and organization.
They might also work on establishing relationships with professors and
roommates, as well as forging new friendships. We are planning to
expand this program in the future to include students with mental
health-related disabilities.
Other services we have available to eligible Wright State
University students registered with our office include: test proctoring
(which includes extended time), private testing rooms, computers,
speech-to-text software, screen reading software, screen enlargement
software, document cameras (for enlarging paper exams or handwritten
notes), scribes, readers, four-function calculators, in-class
assistance, and copies of notes from peers in the classrooms. We have a
comprehensive Technology Center for the production of textbooks and
other printed class materials in alternative formats. These formats
include audio CDs or MP3 files, text files for the students to use with
their screen reading software, enlargeable PDF files for students with
physical disabilities or those with visual impairments, Braille
(including math Braille [Nemeth code], computer Braille, contracted
Braille, foreign language Braille, and music Braille), and raised line
image enhancement.
The Office of Disability Services is not the only location on
campus providing services to students with disabilities. The Biology
Department has an adaptive biology lab for students who need extra
assistance completing their labs. Campus Recreation is in charge of the
adapted recreation program, which includes adapted skiing and bowling,
and wheelchair basketball. There is a National Science Foundation grant
directed by a research professor; the program is designed to encourage
students with disabilities to go into the STEM fields. This program
includes an Ability Advisor, who works one-on-one with the students in
STEM majors, professional mentoring, as well as its own Choose Ohio
First Scholarship.
recommendations
First, when it comes to working with students on the Autism
spectrum and those with mental health disabilities, we do not have all
of the answers. We need technical assistance in what accommodations and
supports are appropriate, both academically and socially. With that
kind of assistance, we would be better prepared to help these students
to be successful in obtaining their college degrees.
Additionally, although our Technology Center utilizes a textbook
clearinghouse called AccessText for the majority of our books needing
an alternative format, this service only provides titles for
approximately 60 percent of our textbooks. Students who purchase
electronic books from publishers or the bookstore usually cannot get
them to work with their text-to-speech or screen reading software
because of the graphic nature of the books. Disability Service
providers really need the publishers to be pushed to provide accessible
electronic books. I would encourage the committee to review the
Department of Education's AIM (Accessible Instructional Materials)
Commission's report and print access issues in Higher Education.
There also needs to be a greater push for Universal Design for
Instruction that would include funding to train faculty on different
teaching methods that would create accessible course content for all
students. If courses are planned & designed to be accessible, it would
reduce the amount of work needed to provide our students with the basic
necessities for their courses. Instructors are increasingly utilizing,
if not completely relying on web-based communications. The Department
of Justice is currently engaged in rulemaking focused on accessible web
design and I encourage that those regulations be given a priority.
Last, there is a dearth of data on college students with disabilities.
I would recommend that tracking the number of students with
disabilities being served be included in the IPEDS Census.
The Chairman. Thank you all very much. Again, we are going
to try to make this as a general discussion. If people want to
just break in, kind of break in; I will not do recognitions,
just kind of jump in.
I am just going to kick this off. Ms. Myers, I just said
that I read about Wright State last night. I never heard of
this school before. So I was reading about all of this last
night.
How big is Wright State now? Tell us.
Ms. Myers. It is about 17,000 students.
The Chairman. Seventeen thousand.
Ms. Myers. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Now, what you are doing there is phenomenal.
I do not know that it is being done anywhere else. You have
this Office of Disability Services.
Ms. Myers. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. You are doing all this stuff. Does that not
cost a lot of money?
Ms. Myers. Yes, sir, it does.
The Chairman. Now, how did you get your board or whoever
runs your school, the college president, how did you convince
them to provide for this?
Ms. Myers. We started out funded for the first 21 years
through TRIO Grants.
The Chairman. What?
Ms. Myers. Through TRIO Grants.
The Chairman. Oh, TRIO Grants. Yes.
Ms. Myers. And at that time, when we lost our TRIO Grants
in 1994, our director at that time went to the administration
and to the State. The first one was to the administration to
make sure that we were a line item in the University's budget.
When we had the TRIO Grants, we only had two of our staff
members who were funded through the University, so the entire,
all of our salaries then became funded through the University.
We also went to the State and worked with some of the other
schools within the State to get a line item in the State budget
for disability services for the other schools. So there is
actually a formula based on the types of services, the amount
of services that you provide, and some of the services that are
above and beyond what most schools would do.
The Chairman. Yes, you do more than I have ever seen,
anywhere.
Ms. Myers. Those extra services include an adaptive lab for
our biology program. We also have National Science Foundation
Grants. One is for a STEM program to encourage students with
disabilities to go into STEM fields. So we seek out grants.
We also, the University has a philosophy that whatever we
have spent over our budget, they will support.
The Chairman. Now, all the rest of you, you have heard
about Wright State? Is that your experience with the schools
you went to also? Am I missing something? I mean, did they have
that kind of support services for all the students with
disabilities? I do not think so, but I do not know.
What was your experience? It seems like there are all kinds
of support systems built-in to Wright State. Everything from
recruiting to accommodations for textbooks, accommodations
even, I understand, for living arrangements.
Ms. Myers. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. You even have people there to help students
with disabilities in terms of personal assistance during the
day. Is this true at your schools too, Ms. Ostrow?
Ms. Ostrow. Obviously, I am speaking on behalf of students
with psychiatric disabilities. I think the issues are a bit
different and although resources are often associated with more
success in many domains of life, there are some things that
money cannot buy like compassion.
I would say in my experience and in the experience of other
students that I know through our networks, sometimes it is the
informal accommodations as in talking to a professor or an
advisor or administrator that are more helpful for students
than the formal ones, obviously in terms of psychiatric
disabilities.
So while I have gotten extended test taking time or a
separate room, and those things do take resources, sometimes it
is the ability to work from home, or to make my own schedule,
or take out extensions that I negotiate with a professor
directly that make more of a difference in my life than a
separate room to take a test.
The Chairman. What we have done in the past in these kinds
of roundtables, if you want to jump in and say something, take
your name like that, that way I know if you want to jump in and
say something. Well, there you go. That is what I mean. OK. Ms.
Getzel.
Ms. Getzel. I think you raise an important question.
Support services for college students with disabilities do vary
a great deal, even within a State they can vary a great deal.
And so it is, I think, that most accommodations that
universities and colleges provide are sort of some of the
standard accommodations: extended time, taking tests in areas
where there is no distraction and things like that.
So there are universities and colleges in all States that,
I mean, Wright State has had a long history, and I have known
about Wright State for many, many years and they definitely are
a leader in this area. There are other schools that are leaders
as well, and we need to learn more from these leaders because
there is such a variety.
What we tell students and which is so critical during the
transition process to college, is that they really need to look
at what services and supports are provided to find the right
match, to really look at what is available, not only in
coursework, but also in terms of supports. And to talk to
students with disabilities who have attended various colleges
to really get a very, very good idea of that.
So with all students going, you want to find the college
that has the programs or courses that you want. With students
with disabilities, they have the extra responsibility of
looking at what kinds of services and supports that they will
need to be successful.
The Chairman. Ms. Fink.
Ms. Fink. I have been fortunate to have visited Wright
State and it definitely is a rare gem among universities. I can
say the same for my alma mater, the University of Illinois,
which had so many of the supports that I needed to be
successful. Things like assistive technology, note-taking,
priority registration for your classes so you can put them
around what might be a challenging schedule with healthcare
concerns, testing accommodations, tutoring, onsite
psychologists, those sorts of things.
Those accommodations did not stop on the campus either. All
of their online and distance learning classes were captioned
and audio described immediately, so anyone who wanted to do
remote classes could do that equally well.
And then I think something that is common both for Wright
State and for the University of Illinois is that comprehensive
commitment to inclusion that applies to clear transition
services, seeing post-secondary education as that step onto the
world of work. Things like workshops, having workshops on
disability disclosure in the workforce. Having career
assessments through your disability service center or working
with some of the career transition services to work
collaboratively with disability student services; it is
something that I know Wright State does and I know Illinois
does as well. Bringing in organizations that are looking to
recruit interns or employees with disabilities, so that is
really going that next step beyond accommodations in school to
accommodations in school that will then help you to be
successful further in life.
The Chairman. Later on.
Senator Baldwin, did you have something you wanted to
interject, before I call on Mr. Farrior?
Statement of Senator Baldwin
Senator Baldwin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Perhaps just
broadening the question, this is very much on point with the
question you raised, to talk about the transition between high
school to college, and what institutions of higher learning can
provide at that moment.
I was reviewing what is happening in my home State of
Wisconsin, and there are two campuses of the University of
Wisconsin system, Whitewater and Oshkosh, that have looked at
this transition from high school to college by deciding to host
a targeted summer transition program. At the UW Whitewater
campus, it is open to any student with any type of disability,
and the program enrolls about 65 students annually and consists
of two college courses for six credits, peer mentors, social
activities, access and training to adaptive technology, and
intensive case management.
As I understand it, the National Longitudinal Transitional
Study notes that students with disabilities are graduating
college at a national rate of about 34 percent from 4-year
degree programs. This UW Whitewater program is lifting that up
to about 48 percent in 6 years.
But I am wondering what your thoughts are from your variety
of experiences about transitional models to help increase the
success at the higher educational institution.
The Chairman. Anybody? Mr. Farrior, did you want to get
involved in that or Ms. Myers? I know you still wanted to have
an interjection here. I saw your card up. What did you want to
say?
Mr. Farrior. Just to go along with what these ladies have
said is actually true. They do actually have their services on
a variety of campuses. But it is my understanding, from my
perspective, helping students that are transitioning as from my
orientation end time perspective, they do have the
accommodations. There is one woman that actually needed the
assistance for her residence hall being that she was blind, and
had a seeing eye dog, and they made accommodations for her to
live in an all-girls residence hall. And they actually--it is
just an to-each-his-own campus that allows students, when they
do register early, the option to register early, as when they
get accepted, they make appointments to speak with the staff
services, so.
The Chairman. Ms. Myers, did you have a specific response
to Senator Baldwin?
Ms. Myers. Yes, sir. I do.
The Chairman. Yes, sure.
Ms. Myers. Transition from high school is very difficult
for a lot of students, and it is something that we recognize,
and we do actively recruit students. And we have tried working
with some of the high schools to see if there can be better
transition for them. And we have also sought out a number of
grants to help us get into those high schools to help those
students and establish some summer programming, which we have
not been successful in doing.
But one of the things that we do because we know that that
transition is difficult, our students who we consider to be our
greatest at-risk students, we do some extra programming for.
We actually have an academic coach program where we hire
upper level and graduate students to work with incoming
students, particularly on the autism spectrum. We know that
they have a very difficult time, especially socially, and
dealing with the soft skills, the time management, getting
their homework done because nobody is telling them to do that.
The coaches can work with a student up to 10 hours a week
to provide them with support, and this is a program that we are
wanting to expand and looking to do to expand to our students
with psychiatric-type disabilities in the very near future.
We also, because of the limitations that we have with
student employees as far as being able to do the coaching part,
there are students particularly with attention deficit disorder
and some of our multiply-disabled students. We do what we call
one-on-one support. We target them when we do their pre-service
interview as students that we need to meet with on a regular
basis.
One of our staff members will then meet with the student,
usually weekly during their first semester. If they are doing
really well after their first semester, we start spacing that
out to every 2 weeks, so that the student eventually becomes
more independent.
This gives us constant contact with the student, so we can
better know if they are having trouble. They are more likely--
because they are actually establishing a relationship with
someone--because some of these students are hesitant to do
that. They need to have someone that they can count on to
actually be their counselor that they can meet with all the
time, and not be thrown from one person to another to another.
This counselor helps to make sure that they are actually
plugged-in to our services, along with plugged-in to the
tutoring services, our writing center, the other services that
we offer on the campus to all students.
That is a difficult piece and really needs to be addressed,
and worked on a much more intense basis.
The Chairman. Ms. Ostrow.
Ms. Ostrow. To answer your question about transition, I
think there are at least two groups of students here.
One is those students, like myself, who had disabilities in
high school and then are transitioning as students with
disability to college. And the other are people who start
experiencing difficulties in college, and there are very
different challenges there, I think, for students who are
coming from a high school, and is already disabled. There is
more the internalized shame and stigma that they can experience
transitioning to college.
For students that start having problems in college, it is
maybe not knowing what it is that they have to do in terms of
what documentation is required, which can often be extremely
onerous, and facilitating those kinds of interactions. I would
think decreasing the burden on students of documenting a
disability, like having to go through for psychiatric
disabilities, or the mental health system in order to get
educational accommodation does not make that much sense to me.
On the issue of sort of targeting at-risk students, that
can be perceived very differently by people or, in fact, be
carried out very differently. There is a lot of stigma about
violence in people with mental illnesses, especially now and
especially on campuses. As one of those students, I do not
particularly want to be targeted by the school administration
or mental health counselors. That just increases anxiety and
paranoia, which can lead to more difficulties in educational
achievement. But at the same time, I do think it is helpful to
have someone consistently there that you trust that you can
seek guidance from, whether it is a peer, or a faculty member,
or someone in the counseling center, or just disabled student
services.
The Chairman. Yes.
Ms. Emrey-Arras. Just to piggyback off of what Ms. Ostrow
was saying about populations that may have disabilities for the
first time when they go to college.
I think it is important for us to think about veterans
coming back from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of
them coming back with sort of those invisible wounds of
traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and having those disabilities in
an academic setting for the first time.
In our work, we did find that some schools are providing
services specifically for the veteran population. Some have
mental health counselors that are trained in those issues to
specifically treat veterans. And we have made recommendations
to the Department of Veterans Affairs to help share best
practices amongst colleges to serve that population.
The Chairman. Ms. Fink.
Ms. Fink. I think programs like what you have mentioned are
critical for all students, including students with
disabilities, but also in particular, for students with
disabilities, transition cannot start when we turn 18. This is
a burden in the school systems and looking at some of our
current systems like voc rehab and Social Security to look at
where that transition process can start when we are 14, 15. It
should not be when I am trying to look at schools and saying,
``Oh, this is where my sister went to school. It is not going
to work for me. What do I do now?'' And that actually was
something that we have seen really delay a lot of the
educational practices of students with disabilities who end up
having a larger gap process in between high school and college.
The Chairman. Yes.
Ms. Getzel. There has been a lot of research, and
demonstration, and work around transition. And we know that
academic preparation and understanding of what the higher
education system is like. There is very little communication
between higher education and secondary education. They are two
different systems.
What happens with students coming out of high school with
disabilities, if they do not understand that what they were
entitled through IDEA is now ended, and they go into an
eligibility process now in terms of what the accommodations
are, that the accommodations at college are for access. And
just the whole notion of what types of supports they need.
We have been running a program since early 2000 and it is
ACE-IT in College. We have been adapting this model for a
number of years. We have worked with students who have cross
disabilities. They are college students coming to us for those
supports that they need in terms of above and beyond what they
are getting from a disability support service. We work very
closely with them. But we have been working with veterans. We
have been working with a variety of students.
Again, it comes back to an understanding of what that
transition means, and we focus a lot on that big transition
which is very important, to be knowledgeable families to have
transition planning. We feel that the whole transition planning
for post-school outcomes should begin in middle school and even
started to be discussed in elementary school all the way up.
And that should be for all students, but in particular students
with disabilities because they do end up at 18 saying, ``What
am I going to do? What is happening?'' So it is very, very
critical for that.
We have found that students that come to us for support are
unaware of how their disability impacts their learning, and
what they do need. And self-determination is a very big
movement now going through secondary education to really know
all parts of you. Too often, students are only known by their
disability label, which is unfortunate and not looking at their
skills and abilities. And we are finding this especially with
students with intellectual disabilities, but it does run the
gamut with students.
And it is very important to look because supports and
services do vary so widely across post-secondary institutions
that it is so important for students to really look at what
that transition is, ``Do I have the academic preparation? What
are the supports and services?'' and really get a good grasp of
that. We call that our first big transition.
The second big one is getting out of college, and retention
and graduation rates, especially for students with
disabilities, is not that great. We need to continue to improve
that. We looked at what some of the causes are, and some of the
causes are the lack of available services, or financial
difficulties, or personal issues, that kind of thing.
So when we looked at our ACE-IT in College and did a study
with students with learning disabilities, and ADHD, and we have
also done it with traumatic brain injury, we found that that
type of support along with all the resources on campus, many
times, students do not know what is available to them on
campus.
But I think one of the things that distresses me the most
is that we really need to be working with students with
disabilities, in particular, to really work on strengths,
interests, and what are those accommodations or supports they
need. Because when they come to us, we say to them, ``What are
your strengths?'' and oftentimes these students are dumbfounded
to list it. If you say, ``What do you believe are your
weaknesses?'' I mean, they can say those things right away.
We want to look at a holistic picture of these particular
students. And when we say, ``How does your disability impact
your learning?'' oftentimes there is a difficulty in
understanding that.
The Chairman. Mr. Farrior, did you have something you
wanted to add to this?
Mr. Farrior. Actually, I have to agree with Ms. Getzel
because from my transitioning, I have gone throughout from
school to school to school to school to find what works for me.
It goes along when you said you have to go middle school, I
feel like it needs to start in elementary, roughly about fourth
to fifth grade because when you are making that transition from
elementary to middle school, you are trying to figure out where
do you fit and where do you belong? Where is your voice, where
you can advocate for yourself, because not everybody is going
to have that support system.
The Chairman. That is right.
Mr. Farrior. So that is where you need to start; the
earlier, the better.
The Chairman. Yes, I am sorry. Ms. Myers.
Ms. Myers. To piggyback on what Ms. Ostrow said about
students with psychiatric disabilities, it is important for
students to understand who knows what their diagnosis is. One
of the things that we have done at Wright State is it is all
centralized in our office. We emphasize to the students that
the knowledge of their disability is confidential.
We do not reveal to faculty, if they call us about a
student, what the disability is. We will confirm what the
accommodations are for that student, and students do have an
accommodation sheet that they can show their faculty. And we
encourage students to get to know their faculty on a personal
level, be visible to their faculty, go to them during office
hours. They do not have to tell them what their actual
disability is, but to try to talk with them about it, about
themselves and the things that they actually have difficulties
with, so that they also are learning how to self-advocate for
themselves.
We will step in whenever we need to. If we need to set-up a
meeting between the student and the faculty, go with them if
they are concerned about actually talking to a faculty member
on their own, so that they can actually get buy-in from their
faculty about the kinds of needs that they have.
Then the other thing is what Ms. Getzel was saying about
transition beyond college. We actually have a vocational
support coordinator on our staff who works with students and
starts talking to them at the very beginning about internships.
One of the things that we have seen with students with
disabilities is they do not have the same opportunity to build
their resume as a lot of other students do. They are not apt to
even go to McDonald's and flip hamburgers. Some of them do not
have the ability to do that, so how are they going to build
their resume, and especially build it within the area of their
interest.
So we work with them and start looking at internship
opportunities. We work with the Workforce Recruitment Program
that is for Federal employment. We actually have a job fair at
our University that is strictly for individuals with
disabilities, and they are all employers who are actually
looking to hire people with disabilities. And again, they do
not know what the disability is. A lot of it is non-obvious,
but they know that the people who are coming into that career
fair actually do have a disability.
We work with the students on mock interviewing. We actually
have a company that came in, has started working with our
students in the last month, coming in and doing mock interviews
with quite a few of our students to help prepare them for these
kinds of things.
We work with them on their resume. We work with our career
services department at Wright State as well, within the kind of
employment type opportunities they have. And their job fairs
and the workshops that they do, so we are not duplicating
effort, but trying to make sure our students are included in
those, and that they know that they are welcome to go there.
They understand when it is appropriate to identify
disability and it depends very much on what the disability is.
Sometimes you do not have to identify. That is not an issue and
we want the students to understand, ``If you do not need
accommodation, you do not necessarily need to identify your
disability.'' Having that ability to work with them helps a
lot.
We feel in our University that if a student comes in and we
do not work with them on building those kinds of skills so that
they can go to work when they leave us, and that includes
technology, as to what kinds of things they need, we have not
done our job right if they cannot be able to be hired when they
leave.
The Chairman. Senator Casey, something that you wanted? I
am sorry, Ms. Ostrow, you wanted to add something before I
call----
Ms. Ostrow. I would certainly like to applaud efforts by
the Federal Government and the private sector for initiatives
to hire people with disabilities. I was encouraged to not
finish college, so I guess I feel like our day has come because
if employers want to hire us, then we need to graduate.
At the same time, I do not think we can emphasize enough
that there is a lot of heterogeneity between schools and
between States. I think some of the things you were talking
about are wonderful, but not available everywhere.
In the context of disclosing with a psychiatric disability,
yes, you do not need to disclose to disabled student services
or faculty if you do not have an accommodation. At the same
time, institutions of higher education, not just education but
communities, where you want people to know you, to know who you
are, and what you are about. And for a lot of people, that is
identifying to some extent with having a disability, or what
your story is, or what you bring to the table, again, in this
context of employment for people with disabilities. But there
are risks there and you have to know the environment.
I think it would be great if all of our schools were safe
for people with disabilities to disclose, to be open about our
identities and what we can bring. But sadly, that is not the
case.
The Chairman. As we continue this discussion, this is all
good information, keep in mind, what is our role, what is the
Federal Government's role? What do we need to do in higher
education?
In 2008, in that last reauthorization, we put in the TPSID
program, and then we funded it. I did not know there were 27 of
the programs out there. Mr. Farrior, you are in one of those
also.
In our new reauthorization, what should we be thinking
about?
Senator Alexander. And if you could add to that, have you
run into anything on your campuses that the Federal Government
is doing that makes it harder for you to provide the kind of
services and support that you would like to support? This is a
good time. Sometimes we unintentionally do things like that.
The Chairman. Did you have something too, Senator Casey?
Statement of Senator Casey
Senator Casey. I do.
Mr. Chairman, first of all, thank you for having this and
our Ranking Member, Senator Alexander, we are grateful you have
convened this. We have a lot of hearings around here that we
have clocks and time deadlines. Senators love when there is no
clock. We can go, but it is a much better conversation than we
often have, and we are grateful for this.
I missed a good portion of this discussion, probably about
the first 40 to 45 minutes, so some of what I might ask about
or what you might speak to will be redundant, and I apologize
for that.
But I want to start with Ms. Fink. I just have really,
maybe for Ms. Fink and Mr. Farrior; is that how you pronounce
it?
Mr. Farrior. Yes, sir.
Senator Casey. Thank you. This is not a very important
question, but one I have to ask. You played wheelchair
basketball. How did your team do?
Ms. Fink. We won two national championships my freshman and
sophomore year, which was more than the able-bodied team did
those years. I love my team, but we are struggling a bit.
Senator Casey. Now, what position did you play?
Ms. Fink. Small forward.
Senator Casey. So, did you score a lot?
Ms. Fink. Not as much as I would like.
Senator Casey. I like you better now, because that is where
I always was when I played basketball. I always wanted to score
more, so we have a real kinship.
Ms. Fink. Oh, defense wins games.
Senator Casey. Let me ask you, in your testimony, there was
one point that you made about SSI. You say,
``For me, SSI played a strong role in helping me
achieve my educational goals. However, for too many
people, it becomes a lifelong parking lot.''
You may have addressed some of this before. I just want to
get a better understanding of what you meant by that.
The Chairman. Can I just interject something? Do not forget
this question. I thought maybe this was a follow on to that.
This is a little bit different aspect of that.
I know some of you wanted to respond to Senator Alexander,
because his question was, I think, very important. Are there
things we are doing that hinder the success of colleges in
terms of supporting students with disabilities? Some of you
have put up your name tags.
Ms. Ostrow, you put yours up, then we get to Senator
Casey's question.
Senator Casey. Sure.
The Chairman. Yes.
Ms. Ostrow. We have lovely laws in this country to protect
civil rights. Unfortunately, I think, for students, these laws
have very little teeth. The Americans with Disabilities Act,
HIPAA, FERPA, are often not, in reality, protected by these
things, but our privacy is not necessarily protected under
FERPA or HIPAA whether it is in an educational setting or in
campus health services. I think, sadly, there is little we can
actually do about that. Those laws address other problems,
perhaps.
I think building stronger self-advocacy and advocacy
networks for students and families where they can address these
problems and prevent them would be even better. I know we are
talking about one bill here, I think, a number of things can be
done to improve a number of different bills in terms of their
implementation of protecting students' civil rights.
The Chairman. Mr. Farrior, yes. Did you have a response to
Senator Alexander's point?
Mr. Farrior. Yes, sir.
To go along with that, I notice with different programs,
the hard thing is for the comparison of in-state versus out-of-
state tuition. Where we are not allowed, we are not able,
excuse me, we are not able to apply for certain grants and
certain funding because of what the criteria are under the
Federal laws of going to post-secondary programs. So that
limits students to continue to stay in school and find other
opportunities.
So it is more with the financial sustainability to what
goes along with what can we apply for and what can we not.
The Chairman. You had a response also, Ms. Myers.
Ms. Myers. Yes, sir.
Senator Alexander. Also, Ms. Myers, what percent of
students have disabilities at your University?
Ms. Myers. I think it is about 2 percent; 2 or 3 that are
revealed to us.
We have students on the campus with disabilities that we do
not know anything about because of the accessibility that we
have. A lot of them might be low level, have low-level spinal
cord injuries, or paraplegia, or they are working with their
professors themselves. So we have another couple percent that
are in that category as well.
Senator Alexander. But the statistics say that 10 percent
of college students are students with disabilities and only 2
percent of yours are?
Ms. Myers. A lot of them do not want to reveal to us.
Students with learning disabilities, and students with
psychiatric disabilities, and veterans do not like to reveal to
people. These are students who do not want to come through our
door because they have dealt a lot with stigmas in high school,
and they are very much afraid that they are going to be dealing
with those same kinds of stigmas when they come to college.
They do not understand that a college like ours, we are very
open to students with any type of disability, that we do not
stigmatize our students and our faculty does not.
The Chairman. Can I interrupt? Again, you had your placard
up. Senator Alexander asked a very keen question, and that is,
are there things that inhibit? There are always paperwork
burdens and regulations, Mr. Farrior mentioned that.
Is there something else that you had in mind that maybe
hinder or put undue burdens on colleges who really want to
recruit and support students with disabilities?
Ms. Myers. Students who have Medicaid waivers who want to
come from a different State have a very difficult time getting
that transferred from one State to another, and their State
might not support them in another State with their waiver.
Students on SSI are very concerned that if they actually
take an internship, are they going to lose their SSI money? We
have to make sure that the waivers are low enough that that is
not a risk. That is really not fair to the students.
Students who get vocational rehabilitation support, the
instant their GPA goes below a 2.0, they do not have support in
college. Other students can fail, and then come back, and not
be penalized for it. Yet a student with a disability runs the
risk of being penalized if they are a student, first, unlike
their peers. They have to do a level of work higher than other
students to be able to maintain their supports, which is
something that really is difficult for the student, and they
are constantly worried about, ``Am I going to lose my support
if I do not do well in a class?''
Senator Casey. Can I just ask? How do we best rectify that?
The Chairman. Yes, you were getting onto that point with
your question.
Ms. Myers. Well, I think in the two areas with SSI for them
to recognize that internships are important for students to be
able to eventually gain employment and not be on SSI anymore.
And they are doing a summer internship, they should not be
pulling their support just because they have made a little bit
above what they should, what they need to. So that needs to be
something recognized by SSI.
With voc rehab, there should not be a ``one strike and I am
not supporting you anymore'' in college. They will support them
for other things, but not college. So voc rehab needs to
understand these young people, 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds are young
people and they struggle like other students. They have classes
they do well in; they have classes they do not. And to have
this one strike ruling that, ``I am not going to support you in
college,'' really needs to be changed.
The Chairman. Obviously, if you are on SSDI, the law has
been so since 1959 or something, we encourage people to work
who are on SSDI. It is a fallacy, a lot of people do not know;
they think if you get SSDI, you should not work at all. Right
now, you can earn up to $1,070 a month. You can earn up to
$1,070 a month and still get SSDI.
Well, I can see that if you have a college student who is
on SSDI, who maybe goes out and gets a summer job, makes more
than $1,070 a month, they get cut off of that even though they
are not making a lot of money for the year.
Ms. Myers. Right.
The Chairman. They are making just a couple of months of
summer work, and they get cut off of SSDI. So is that a
problem? Is that what you are talking about?
Ms. Myers. Yes, I am, and they are not on SSDI. They are on
SSI usually because they have not worked before. The SSDI is
for people who have actually worked previously.
The Chairman. They have worked before, that is right.
Ms. Myers. So these are students who come in on SSI, which
is for students with disabilities, people with disabilities who
have never worked.
The Chairman. They never paid into the system.
Ms. Myers. Right. They have not paid into the system. They
get lower amounts of money for support in the first place, and
they are at great risk for having that pulled if they make over
that in 1 month. It is not something that is looked at on an
annual basis; it is looked at on a monthly basis.
The Chairman. A monthly basis. See, that is a problem. I
have not thought about that. It is interesting.
Did you want to re-state again?
Senator Casey. No, I just want to make sure that Ms. Fink,
the answer to the question, is that?
Ms. Fink. I am going to attempt to answer both your
question and Senator Alexander's question at one time.
Senator Casey. OK.
Ms. Fink. I think they do kind of combine together in my
experience.
I think as I mentioned in my opening statement, I received
a wheelchair basketball scholarship to the University of
Illinois, which supplemented by some academic scholarships as
well as some hard-fought voc rehab support, which I will get to
in just a minute. It made my education marginally cost-free. So
this was a massive financial burden lifted from my family, but
of course had other costs, living expenses, very specific
healthcare costs that necessitated I establish eligibility for
Social Security, for SSI; I am sorry, Supplemental Security
Income and Medicaid which went along with that. And that
provided me with my necessary healthcare coverage throughout
school, as well as somewhat of an extra income to support me
beyond that point. But it also simultaneously limited my assets
to $2,000; limited my access to $2,000 per month with SSI in
order to maintain my Medicaid and my SSI there.
So our programs that are in place like Ticket to Work and
PASS Plan, that are trying to alleviate some of these issues
are not quite hitting the nail right yet.
The Chairman. Dana, let me ask you a question.
Ms. Fink. Yes.
The Chairman. That $2,000 that varies by State, does it
not?
Ms. Fink. It does and that actually creates some of the
issues. Switching, I went to school, I am originally from
Georgia and then I went to school in Illinois, and had to
switch beyond that point, and then I came here to do an
internship in Washington, DC. That created other issues where I
could lose my healthcare coverage just for doing an internship
here, and then I studied abroad, and there were different State
by State regulations about where I could lose my Medicaid and
lose my SSI in that respect as well. And it is so complex each
State. We could have an entire hearing on what some of these
issues are with SSI.
To answer Senator Alexander's question about some of the
Federal Government institutional barriers, I would definitely
echo what some folks have said about voc rehab. Me and my
family, we really believe in early transitions. So when I was
in high school, as soon as I could, I enrolled in the Georgia
Vocational Rehabilitation Services. This is a pretty good
story, so I will tell it as quickly as I can, but I think
everyone will enjoy this.
I was assigned a VR counselor and they asked me what I
wanted to do when I grew up which, at the time, I wanted to be
a journalist. And I told him that and he said that I would not
be a candidate for services because of that specific career
choice. He then gave an example if I wanted to be a piano
teacher and I was missing an arm, then voc rehab could support
me by providing me with a prosthetic arm. At which point my
mother said, ``Well, what if she wanted to be a tap dancer?''
And he said, ``Yes, then you would be a candidate for
services.'' Which is just unbelievable, and it is not what
those supports are trying to do. It is not what they should be
doing. There is such a lack of knowledge. We, at the time, also
did not know that I could seek recourse in these instances.
There is the Client Assistance Program which can support
you if you need, if you are having issues with your voc rehab.
I had to go to court and petition to get a new counselor. I got
a new counselor, and then there were issues when I said I
wanted to go to the University of Illinois, and they were
supposed to pay for me what I would have received to go to an
in-state school at the out-of-state school, and they refused to
do that. Because at Georgia, there is the HOPE Scholarship
which, if you have a 3.0 GPA, you largely get tuition free and
so, they were supposed to provide equivalent services at
Illinois, and they wanted to penalize me for that even though
it was a merit-based scholarship. And then at that point, my
family would have been responsible for that cost burden.
The Chairman. Ms. Emrey-Arras, did you have any comments on
what Senator Casey asked?
Ms. Emrey-Arras. Yes. In terms of what we can do about
this, I think, at GAO, we have reported on the lack of
coordination across Federal agencies, and I think some of these
issues have come up just now in terms of eligibility criteria
being different and the like.
We have made a recommendation for a single, formal,
Governmentwide strategy specifically focused on the transition
for students with disabilities. Not only to colleges, but also
to the labor force, and we have made that recommendation to the
Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, and
the Social Security Administration. And that recommendation is
still open. So that has not happened as of yet, but we think it
is a critical one.
Senator Casey. Mr. Farrior, I know you were going to say
something, but let me just ask, and I will be done with this. I
know we have others who are waiting.
As someone who was diagnosed with Asperger's, I guess you
were in eighth grade at the time?
Mr. Farrior. Yes. Yes, sir.
Senator Casey. So you were getting, moving closer to
adulthood. And when you consider your own experience now in
higher education, and you may have already answered this in
light of what Senator Alexander asked, but if you had to line
up one, two, three, even one or two things you hope we would do
to make your experience better if you had to be doing it all
over again, what would those one or two things be?
Mr. Farrior. The first thing to go along with what Ms.
Myers said and Ms. Getzel, is to have the support system in the
public school as well as private schools to bringing attention
to students like, ``OK. This is what you have. How can we help
you?'' Because when I was going through different school
systems, I did not even know about Asperger's. It took me, like
I said, to about age 14 just to understand what I had to
transition to.
So to go along with that, I met a third grader parents
whose actually said to him, ``Do not tell them. Do not tell
them you have Asperger's.'' But he gave a whole presentation
about this to his classmates, and to students, and peers, and
teachers to actually understand to help him better succeed. So
it needs to go along once you find, once a student is actually
found out that they have it, they should find ways in the
school system to be able to help them succeed.
In sixth grade, I was turned down because I got diagnosed--
actually in Washington, but each State is different. I was
actually denied because I actually got tested in Washington,
but I was supposed to be tested in South Carolina and they do
not take out-of-state testing. So they should be actually
reasonable to figure out what accommodations they can make from
different States because not every psychiatrist is going to
find the proper diagnosis for that individual.
Along with the point you are asking, how we can make a
difference is just basically like I said before. Really
advocate for the students along the way, going along with
Senator Alexander, is that finding out what is eligible because
of what Ms. Myers said. I actually talked to other students,
traditional students that have lost their life scholarship that
freshman year because of playing around.
I lost my scholarship when I was at Trident because I
actually went down from a 3.5 to a 1.5 to where an individual
asked, ``How can you get a 3.5 and need all this accommodation?
That does not make sense.'' Basically, the statement was that I
was actually incompetent, so it is just actually having the
assistance to succeed.
Senator Casey. Thank you.
The Chairman. Senator Murray, did you have something to
say?
Statement of Senator Murray
Senator Murray. Mr. Chairman, thank you.
Thank you to all of our panelists. I had an opportunity to
listen to some of this while I was in my office, but this is
really a great discussion. I really appreciate all of your
courage in coming forward, especially the students that are
here as well. I had one general question.
For a lot of individuals including many of our newly
acquired disability veteran students, they have challenges
related to documentation. And I wondered if any of the students
could comment on that challenge, and what we need to be looking
at.
Ms. Ostrow. For certain disability categories, I sense that
it is a lot easier than for others. If you have a physical
disability or a sensory disability, documentation may not even
be required in some instances by certain disability services
offices.
For those of us with psychiatric or learning disabilities,
it is a much more complex process. I am told that I have
bipolar disorder. To my knowledge, there is no test for having
bipolar disorder. So what documentation should I produce to get
accommodation? Even if I understand perfectly what it is, but I
need it in terms of accommodations.
I think another problem is that you are required to be
involved with mental health providers in order to get
accommodation. You are seeking accommodations in education or
work, not within the mental health system.
In addition to that, accessing those services is, in
itself, a barrier. You are talking about weeks or months where
you are waiting to meet with a mental health provider in order
to get documentation, and then after that provided to disabled
student services so that their ADA compliance office can
approve it. And then from there, have them contact faculty to
assemble the accommodations. I mean, we are talking several
weeks into a semester where you have already missed a mid-term
or several assignments before anything even happens.
Senator Murray. Mr. Farrior.
Mr. Farrior. Can you repeat the question?
Senator Murray. I wanted to know what your challenges or
challenges that you know about in terms of documentation.
Mr. Farrior. Documentation for myself, for others--and it
is different for each individual--has been finding out, going
back to past testing to different States to where you can, what
States are going to offer what testing. As well as finding out
what they need.
For example, I actually needed a small class size, along
with authorization to take my test outside of the classroom.
And you really have to wait until you're actually accepted by
the college, to my knowledge, to start the process.
Senator Murray. Ms. Fink, you wanted to comment?
Ms. Fink. I think this goes back to the issues of students
not knowing how their rights change when they go from being
covered under IDEA to then ADA in higher education.
I have had my physical disability since birth and had done
quite a lot of advocacy and self-advocacy for myself and for
others, and been so proud to be a person with a disability
throughout this whole process. And then I got hit sophomore
year of college with mental health concerns and I had no idea
what to do with this. I did not have an understanding of what
disability disclosure even was because I usually, I walk into a
room and people know what my disability is. I do not have to
disclose necessarily. That can be a challenging process for
students with invisible disabilities to know what specifically
they do have to disclose in order to get accommodation.
And then it also goes back to the issue of paperwork,
needed paperwork focusing more on the diagnosis rather than
what the needs and the accommodations are. So, I mean, we talk
about what are the strengths, and dreams, and everything that
we have for ourselves. The accommodation should be, focus on
what are the strengths and how do we get to those dreams rather
than, ``This is a person who has bipolar disorder, who has
Asperger's, and these are the things that people with bipolar
disorder and people with Asperger's need.'' It is not that one-
size-fits-all approach, which is what tends to happen when we
are submitting this paperwork to higher education institutions.
Senator Murray. Ms. Getzel, you wanted to comment.
Ms. Getzel. Yes. Documentation issues are a very long-term
issue for students with disabilities, and part of that is that
transition into higher education where they are under different
laws.
I think that even within a State or even within a college
that could be 10 miles apart from each other, each institution
has a different way of interpreting and what they require for
documentation. So that makes a family and students really have
to understand what that process is, what needs to be involved,
and that can be very time consuming.
It is also a financial barrier for many students,
especially students who come from various economic backgrounds
who may not be able to--it is very expensive to get the testing
necessary.
Another issue is that many students who have been coming
through the secondary education system have had all kinds of
tests and work around what their disability is, what
accommodations, and that kind of thing. And yet, we have many
institutions of higher education that will not look at or
accept that type of documentation like an IEP or a summary of
performance. So that is also difficult.
Why would someone who has had a long occurring disability
all of a sudden need to get retesting? It is that whole adult
norms and those types of issues that are brought up.
I do have to say, though, that the Association on Higher
Education and Disability has really been trying to work on this
a great deal, and we are seeing somewhat of a shift, not all
colleges and universities, it varies widely. But some are not
asking for the documentation as the first thing out the gate.
They talk with the student, ``What accommodations did you use?
How do you learn best?'' that kind of thing.
As they go on further, they then work on what
accommodations are provided at the college, which brings it
more to a discussion, more of students coming and saying,
``This is what I need. This is how I learn best,'' which is so
important from elementary school or preschool on up that
students with disabilities really understand that.
With acquired disabilities, we have worked with students--
in the middle of their situation in college, a number of
times--we have worked with students in the middle of their
internship, they receive a diagnosis, and now they are on the
clock because they have to finish their internship or go to
graduation, and that kind of thing. And that can be very
stressful for students. So there is sometimes very little
leeway for students with acquired disabilities or that have not
been diagnosed previously in terms of what systems they do use.
With veterans, we work with veterans with PTSD, and
traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. And there are
so many competing responsibilities that these individuals have
coming into college that even the transition to college is
difficult, and coming into what they need to be doing. And then
what stigma do they feel in terms of letting their unit down by
acknowledging that they have a disability. There is a whole
realm of issues that are very specific to veterans as well in
higher education.
The Chairman. Ms. Myers, do you want to comment?
Ms. Myers. You had mentioned veterans and Ms. Getzel
mentioned veterans. At Wright State, we have a large group of
veterans on the campus because we have a very large VA hospital
in our area, and we are also adjacent to Wright Patterson Air
Force Base. So a lot of veterans do come to our area.
One of the problems that they have, though, is getting
their documentation from the VA. It is, and I really hate to
say it this way, but it is a very convoluted system for them.
We have a veteran we have been working with recently who, I
have told his voc rehab counselor, I do not even need to know
his diagnosis. I just want his limitations. I need to know
because what he has presented to us does not give us any kind
of long-term disability information.
Senator Murray. Because he does not have a rating from the
VA?
Ms. Myers. He has a rating from the VA. We know he has a
disability and we have told them, ``We are not questioning
that.'' So that we know best how to help this student, we need
to know what his actual limitations are.
Senator Murray. So the VA is not giving you that?
Ms. Myers. No, they have not. And for the student to try to
get this information because they have changed his doctor, so
that takes time. And getting back to his counselor takes time,
even by e-mailing the counselor sometimes you do not get
responses back. So the VA does not make it easy at all for our
veterans to be able to go to college and be successful.
This is also a hard group to reach out to because they do
not want to admit they need any assistance. OK. So they finally
get to that point where they are, ``OK. I need some help. I
really do. I have got to get some help from disability
services,'' and then the VA is not helping them to get anything
that will help us to provide their accommodations.
Now, we have gone ahead in this particular case, and we are
providing him with a private room to take his test in because
that is one of the big things that he really needed. That is
not a big deal. We will go ahead and do that, while we wait to
get everything else on him.
Senator Murray. Yes.
Ms. Myers. But they do not make it easy.
The Chairman. Interesting. Ms. Ostrow.
Ms. Ostrow. In addition to being in the 22d grade, I have
also had a number of jobs throughout my life, and never a
single job, have I been asked to produce any written
documentation from anyone requesting an accommodation for a
disability. The fact that when you go to college, or to
graduate school, you have to have these packets of diagnoses
and testing from a professional does not make that much sense.
The other thing that I would like to say is that for people
with psychiatric disabilities, I think there is a real lack of
education and awareness on the part of disabled student
services in some places where students with psychiatric
disabilities that are not learning disabilities, are kind of
shoehorned into those kinds of accommodations because that is
what the disabled student services are familiar with, and then
these are very different problems that people have.
I believe it was Senator Harkin who mentioned the episodic
nature of psychiatric disabilities. So like a persistent
accommodation may not make that much sense. At the same time,
you might need a lot more supports during certain periods of
time, and those periods of time tend to be times when people
are experiencing stress or life events where it may be
particularly difficult to achieve those things.
The Chairman. Senator Warren, did you have something you
wanted to jump in on here?
Statement of Senator Warren
Senator Warren. I do. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and
thank you, Ranking Member.
I apologize for coming in late. I am going to have to
leave. We are in the middle of a banking hearing in another
room. But I want to thank you for your leadership and all that
you have done to expand access for people with disabilities.
Before I ended up in law school, I was a special needs teacher
in public school. So that is where I started my life and this
is really important.
We have made a lot of progress, because I was in this field
a very long time ago, and a lot of progress has been made in
terms of access. But I wanted to talk just a little bit today
about materials, just wanted to focus on that part, and I am
seeing people nod already on this. The changes in technology
have created such incredible opportunities now to expand
access, but opportunities does not always mean that is, in
fact, what is happening.
In fact, there was a 2011 Federal commission that reported
that colleges were adopting technologies that are not
accessible and that this is creating additional problems.
So the question I wanted to start with, and I thought maybe
you would be the right person for this, Ms. Myers, is why some
colleges are failing to offer accessible materials even though
this is what the law requires? Ms. Myers or anyone else who
wants to, but I thought Ms. Myers.
Ms. Myers. Well, I think one of the difficulties is we have
colleges, and this happens at Wright State, and it puts a
responsibility on our technology center to be able to take what
they have adopted and get it into an accessible format.
But colleges, because of technology, are adopting more and
more electronic textbooks. One of the problems with those
textbooks is they are typically created in more of an image or
graphical environment than a text environment. OK. That is not
an accessible environment if you are using a screen reader or
any kind of talking technology. So those, then, have to be
turned into something that is accessible, and that is not easy
to do.
The publishers are not being pushed enough to make sure
that what they are creating in those electronic environments
is, indeed, accessible. Even putting on the disks for the
download, accessible version would make things a whole lot
easier for the students. It is really hard for them when they
go and they purchase that, they download it, and they cannot
use it. OK. And I think that is one of the big problems.
The faculty members are also not being pushed to check out
accessibility before they adopt to make sure that what they are
adopting is, indeed, accessible particularly if they are using
something electronic, or if they are using some kind of
software program within their teaching as well, to make sure
that that is going to be accessible. But I think there is a
two-way street here: faculty making sure that what they are
adopting is accessible, but publishers making sure that what
they are putting out there is accessible.
The burden of responsibility falls onto--has in the past
and continues, in our opinion--to fall on the university to
make sure that the students have the materials that they need
to be able to be successful in college. So that responsibility
falls on us to make sure that what we are giving them is
accessible. But the publishers are not helping and sometimes
the faculty are not either.
Senator Warren. Good. And I thought maybe I could ask, what
are the universities and the schools doing to push. But Ms.
Getzel, could you add to this please?
Ms. Getzel. Yes. It is a very big difficulty, especially
with publishers. I know that in work that we have been doing in
working with the disability support service office, working
with students, that it is either very long to get it or they
tell us it is not available, and it is very difficult.
What we would like to see more on sort of the publisher end
now with the technology, it is almost like all this technology
is happening, but in one sector, we cannot seem to get that
opened up. And I know that there are certain regulations or
policies and that kind of thing, especially with publishers.
I know that in Virginia, at one point, they started almost
like a lending library among the universities who had
accessible materials that they could then use, if you belonged
to this consortium, then you would have access to some of that
to relieve some of the costs, as well as some of the waiting
time. And again, faculty do need to be very aware of this, and
sometimes books or what coursework is put up in a short amount
of time, which then the disability support services offices are
scrambling to try to get that.
I know that the universities, at least at VCU, is really
trying to adhere very carefully to that and always we get
things at the beginning or the end of the semester to alert
faculty to be aware of these type of things. But it really is a
difficulty.
Senator Warren. Yes. Ms. Myers.
Ms. Myers. We did some of the lending in Ohio. We
established within our consortium, we are members of the
Southwest Ohio Consortium on Higher Education and we created a
lending library.
One of the problems that we had is a problem we have within
our own University, which is, we can have two economics
professors who do not adopt the same books. And when you have
that issue within your own university, having other schools
adopting the same thing, when there are no standards created by
the State saying, ``All history teachers have to use this.''
Or, you know, ``Within a university, all economics professors
have to do this. All sociology professors have to do this,''
which takes away their academic freedom. That is another part
of the problem.
We do get calls from other schools asking them, well, if we
have done a book to help them out, which we will share. We have
done this for quite a while. The only problem is most of the
time, it is not something that we have because of that freedom
that the faculty has.
We do use a clearinghouse called AccessText and we can get
about 60 percent of our materials from them. They do not
include the small publishers in that process. It is typically
the large publishers, but there are also files that we cannot
just hand over to a student. We have to take them. A lot of
times, it is one file for the whole book, which means we have
to break it up into portions that the students can use. And
sometimes page numbers are missing or there is all this missing
information so we still have to work on the file before we can
hand it over.
Senator Warren. I very much appreciate your comments on
this and they are very valuable. I think that accessible
materials are critical. We already have laws about
requirements, and clearly they are not being met.
Today, Senator Hatch and I are introducing legislation to
establish guidelines to ask an independent agency to develop
guidelines so that we will have some guidelines for what kinds
of accessible materials we need. We are hopeful that what this
means is that colleges will be able to meet their legal
requirements if guidelines are out there. And that we will be
able to develop a market for these materials so that the
publishers, as you rightly say, Ms. Myers, receive some
encouragement to make sure that they have consistently
available materials and that we will be able to do more. It is
not enough to say to our students, ``We are trying to make
college accessible, but when you get here, you are not going to
be able to deal with the material.''
I just want to say this bill has strong support from the
disability community and on behalf of Senator Hatch, I wanted
to come here today to hear from you about it, and be able to
mention it. And again, I apologize. I am in a banking hearing
and I am going to have to go back to that. But thank you for
the work you are all doing and thank you for all you have done.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Warren.
I was just informed by my counsel that, and I met this
group before, Bookshare has a Department of Education grant to
provide textbooks in different formats. But I was just informed
that one of the largest publishers of textbooks, Pearson, does
not allow that. I do not know why. We will have to look into
that. It has to do with the copyright, I guess, and things like
that, but some publishers do, do that. So it is sort of a
little mixture of this and a little mixture of that.
I think that is maybe something we ought to look at too in
terms of our reauthorization of our Higher Education because we
put the money into TPSID. They are doing well, but if young
people like Mr. Farrior and who else was involved with TPSID--
--
Ms. Getzel. I am.
The Chairman. Yes, Ms. Getzel. But if you cannot get the
textbooks in a format that is accessible then that limits what
we are doing in that program, in the TPSID program. So I think
we are going to have to look at this textbook thing.
We are running out of time, but Ms. Fink, we will close
this down, but Ms. Fink, you had one last thing.
Ms. Fink. I just wanted to caution that accessible
materials are not limited to accessible textbooks.
The Chairman. Say that again?
Ms. Fink. I just wanted to caution that accessible
materials are not to be limited to accessible textbooks. When I
was in school 4 years ago, half of my reading was done through
Noodle or through a system like that where a teacher would
upload a couple of PDF's, and then you have to read it by the
next day, and that is not enough time if that format is not
accessible, and there needs to be some sort of regulations
about those materials going onto those online platforms as
well.
The Chairman. Good point, good point.
This has been a great discussion; just a nice, open format
of discussion. I think we have covered a lot of the points.
Again, I would just let you know that there are a lot of
barriers facing students with disabilities in getting a higher
education; it runs the gamut with all the things that we have
talked about here this morning. I am not saying that we can
solve all that in the Higher Education bill, and probably not,
but there are certain things that we are going to have to look
at and address, and I think you have given us some thoughts
this morning on what we can do to help try to remove some of
those barriers.
I would just ask, as we proceed, that you keep in contact
with this committee and with our staff, and give us the benefit
of your thoughts as we move forward on the reauthorization. I
would sure appreciate it.
I think there are a lot of things that we can do to make
sure that we have equal access, good transitions, effective
recruitment, making sure that kids who are in IDEA who have an
IEP know what they have and how colleges are able to take that
and move that into the college setting, support services, and
overcoming a kind of an attitudinal barrier that exists in a
lot of schools.
Let us face it, when you talk about higher education being
accessible for kids with disabilities, the first thing that
pops into their minds is, ``Oh, well, we must have ramps and
widen doors.'' It is physical. They think about the physical
disability, but as you point out, Ms. Fink, sometimes people
have more than just a physical disability, they have other
disabilities too, right, Ms. Ostrow? They have intellectual,
psychiatric disabilities that need to be accommodated also.
So they need to start thinking along those lines.
Obviously, Wright State has done that in many ways, maybe the
University of Illinois too, but I do not think that this is
very widespread. In other words, thinking about accommodations
and accessibility for nonphysical disabilities that students
have. So I think we kind of have to focus on that too.
I look forward to working with members of this committee to
craft the policies that will aid youth to access higher
education. If there are certain paperwork things that are in
place that are keeping colleges from offering supports, we
ought to look at that too.
SSI, as I said to Senator Alexander that is sort of not in
our bailiwick; that is the finance committee. But maybe we
could work with them to provide some kind of crossing State
borders when you are a bona fide student and you are going from
one school to another that some kind of solution for a student
during their college years when they are working on a summer
job or something like that where they might go over the monthly
limit. They need that money for going to school. Also, we need
to address the SSI limits of only $2,000 in assets, if I am not
mistaken, something like that. If you earn a little bit more
than that and you have that in the bank, you are cut off from
benefits. They will cut you off your Medicaid on SSI. But like
I said, that is not in our jurisdiction, but something maybe we
could work with the finance committee on.
I thank you all. Some of you came a great distance. I
appreciate it. Thank you. You have given us great insights.
Thank you for your leadership in this area.
We will leave the record open for 10 days to allow
additional statements or supplements to be submitted for the
record.
And the hearing will be adjourned. Thank you very much.
[Whereupon, at 11:53 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
[all]