Services

Who are Persons with Disabilities?

A person with a disability legally defined as "any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities," a person who "has a record of such an impairment," or a person treated as if he/she has a disability. (Rehabilitation Act of 1973)

Major life activities include walking, seeing, hearing, feeding one's self, working and learning. Often disabilities are grouped as Physical disorders (auditory, visual, orthopedic, chronic illnesses, or systemic neurological disorders), Learning disorders(dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, disorders of written expression, dysgraphia, autism spectrum disorder, etc.), and Emotional Disorders (affective disorders, thought disorders, behavioral reactions, etc). Some individuals may have multiple disorders or varying degrees of a disorder which means that accommodations vary from individual to individual which in turn means that the university must have documentation about each individual’s disability to determine how best to serve them. IUPUI has designated Adaptive Educational Services (AES) as the office to receive and evaluate documentation, determine the appropriate accommodations, and provide some of those services, and direct students to units that provide other services.

Services AES DOES and DOES NOT Provide

Although AES provides a variety of accommodations to students with documented disabilities, there are limits to what AES provides, although such services were provided in high school. (See section on what is different between high schools and colleges and students with disabilities.) Also remember AES' services are not automatic; students must request them.

Specifically anything considered a "personal service" is not provided by AES. This includes full or part-time attendant care on campus, reminder calls, wake-up services, or scheduling services, refrigeration for medications or special food.

In addition, AES does not provide transcription, typing, or writing services except for quizzes and examinations if documentation warrants such services. AES doesn't provide private tutoring since AES considers this a private service. However, the Writing Centerdoes provide assistance with writing papers. The Bepko Learning Center (on the second floor of the Joseph Taylor Hall which houses University College) has group tutoring sessions especially for freshmen classes. In addition, many schools and departments keep lists of student tutors who will, usually for a fee, provide private tutoring in specific subjects or class specific tutoring. Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation will sometimes pay for such services and AES will assist students in working with Voc Rehab.

AES may assist students who have a temporarily disabling condition such as recovering from surgery, a broken limb, a concussion, or a persistent illness. Please contact our office for more information. AES will also assist visitors with disabilities by providing information about parking and accessibility of facilities.

AES also recommends the Learning Communities Seminars offered by University College for beginning students because these classes assist students in learning about the campus, campus resources, how to use the library and working with a small group of students. Other students may wish to take a Major or Career Exploration Course to better determine whether a particular course of study suits them. In addition, the library and other offices on campus offer special (usually free) short classes on note-taking, study skills, time management, how to take tests and how to reduce test anxiety. Information about such classes is generally posted on-line and available at University College.

In addition, AES does not provide academic, career, or crisis counseling. There are offices on the campus that do provide these services and AES will provide students with contact information so they can use these services. AES does not provide emergency wheel chair service or maintenance, transportation on or off the campus, or assistance with service animals.

AES is willing to communicate with a student's instructors, indicating the services/accommodations the student is entitled to receive in the instructors' classes. Although AES realizes that it may be difficult for a student to discuss functional limitations and request services with faculty, AES urges students to try. AES will, of course, communicate, usually by e-mail or directly with faculty, if a student feels communication is impossible at this point. AES will also negotiate with faculty if they are initially hesitant about providing services.

A major service that AES provides is a lab with specialized adaptive technology to assist individuals with disabilities. Located on the third floor of University Library (rooms 3135H and 3135N), the lab is staffed by professionals who provide consulting services on the use of the equipment and software. The lab adds new technology frequently so it is worth visiting to see what is currently available or on the way.

Additional Services

Lab Partners

If a student requires a partner for hands-on work in a laboratory or an assistant to help manipulate items in class, the student should first try to get a class member volunteer. If such an approach does not work, please contact AES to make arrangements.

Reading Services for Blind Students, Students with Poor Vision and Students with Learning Disabilities

If students' documented disability warrants it, AES will explore a number of strategies which allow students with sight or learning disabilities to access text, whether daily newspapers, novels, textbooks, supplementary books, articles or materials needed to do research projects. Frequently, the method which allows the students the greatest degree of independence may be books on tape or the use of software which converts text to the spoken word. For other students or specific projects, a reader may be provided, though the use of technology is considered the first strategy.

Informing Faculty of Accommodations

As mentioned earlier, with a copy of a student's schedule and an indication of which of the approved accommodations a student would like for each class, AES will, upon request, contact faculty informing them of the approved accommodations. This may be done for each class requiring accommodations every semester and as early in the semester as possible.