Power Grid Blog
AAPD welcomes inaugural 4.0 Partner: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
December 20, 2011 | Power Grid Blog Team
The AAPD Higher Education Project Team recently had the opportunity to visit our first 4.0 Partner, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). UIUC is no stranger to firsts in the disability community as it has been a leader in accommodations for students with disabilities since Dr. Tim Nugent founded the Division of Rehabilitation Education Services, now The Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) back in 1948. UIUC and DRES have ushered in a number of significant firsts for students with disabilities, including the first accessible buses on a university campus, the first cross-disability community service fraternity, and the first collegiate wheelchair basketball team. As we headed off to Illinois, we had high expectations for UIUC and its pioneering traditions, but even we were astounded at measures in place to allow students with disabilities to succeed on campus.
The Project Team began the day with a tour of the major support systems that DRES offers, including but not limited to: assistive technology , note taking , priority registration , testing accommodations , interpreters, tutoring, and on-site clinical psychologists. The academic accommodations at Illinois do not stop on the campus. All of their online and distance learning classes are automatically captioned. Their comprehensive commitment to inclusion also applies to Illinois’s career transitions services. One of the wonderful realizations we had about the staff at DRES was their perspective of higher education as a stepping stone towards gainful employment. While we were there, DRES was hosting a workshop on disability disclosure and employment issues, a topic not frequently targeted by disability service offices.
After learning about the abundance of academic accommodations available at the University of Illinois, we traveled to the adapted athletics facility to see the services existing for those on adaptive sports teams as well as for people with disabilities on campus wanting anything from strength and conditioning to physical therapy from a licensed physical therapist. The students and staff also work closely to make recommendations for simple, integrated athletic opportunities that anyone can do on their campus, such as putting in wider benches for easy transfers or having a hand-crank stationary bike for use during spin classes. With health concerns at the forefront for many people with disabilities, I found myself wishing I had access to such a personalized program and knowledgeable staff.
Next, the Higher Education Project Team headed off to a meeting with the Study Abroad Office. Despite being in separate departments, DRES and Study Abroad collaborate very closely whenever a student with a disclosed disability wants to study abroad. One of the great lessons we took away from this meeting was how easily a university can create a welcoming environment for all students with disabilities. It doesn’t require exorbitant amounts of money or a robust staff, just openness, opportunity, and collaboration among departments. One of our final stops of the day was to Ikenberry Commons, the newly redeveloped campus dorms. Ikenberry Commons contains Nugent Residence Hall, an integrated campus dorm which allows students requiring accessibility features and personal assistants to live with their peers. Residents in this dorm are given 35 hours of free personal assistant services per week. They are also given the opportunity and training to hire their own assistants fitting their specific needs from the pool of screened and trained personal assistants. This concept not only helps students with disabilities to live independently, but also allows them to be socially integrated and gives them practice for hiring personal assistants after college.
The day wrapped up with a town hall meeting where the UIUC cross-disability community came together to discuss how we can continue to improve educational opportunities for students with disabilities. UIUC students were excited to have an opportunity to connect with each other and share resources that have helped them succeed in college.
AAPD would like to thank the University of Illinois for sharing their best practices with us. For the full report on The University of Illinois’ best practices click here.
Does your college or university have best practices you want to share? To find out how or to learn more about our 4.0 Partners, click here.
