Beyond simply coping

Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 — mandating that institutions provide reasonable accommodations for handicapped people — most Ivy universities have seen more students with documented disabilities matriculate.

But many of these students are not physically impaired. Instead, they are students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, a condition of word-blindness; dysgraphia, the inability to write; and dyscalcula, the inability to calculate. In addition, some students have development disorders, such as Attention Deficit Disorder.

And this increasing number is forcing the Ivies to rethink the way they provide services to students with disabilities.

"Learning disabilities is a field that has come into its own in the last 40 years. Only fairly recently, there's been an understanding of the learning disabilities that kids have," said Carol Porter, Princeton's associate dean of the college, who is responsible for learning disabilities services. "So there has been an increased number of diagnoses because of better understanding of why kids are having these problems."

Ten years ago, only four or five students at Princeton sought accommodations for their learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders. But now about 25 students are registered with Porter's office.

Much of this growth comes from a marked increase in students with attention disorders. At Cornell — where a total of 265 undergraduates have some form of disability — there has been a steady 10- to 20-percent annual increase in the number of students with ADD since the early 1990s, according to Matthew Tominey, director of Cornell's student disabilities services.

Combined with the passage of the ADA, more research in the area of learning and attention disorders is helping to make people aware of these ailments and ways to reduce their effects. "High schools are doing better jobs in preparing these students," Tominey said, noting that these students can now attend competitive schools such as Cornell.

Of the 200 students registered with Yale's disabilities resource office, 40 percent identify themselves as learning disabled, said Judy York, the center's director. Twenty-three of these students have ADD — an increase from previous years.

"Essentially [this] generation is the first that had early identification of disabilities," York said. "Previously, students may have had a disability but never been diagnosed."

Today, more students are aware of their disabilities than in the past, but in some cases, the problems are too small to warrant accommodations by universities. Each school has a strict application process for accommodation requests. According to the Princeton University Protocol for Documentation Concerning Learning Disabilities and Requests for Reasonable Accommodations, the University requires "results of a number of standard tests related to learning processes, along with a narrative interpretation of these results."

Harvard has a similar policy, according to Louise Russell, the school's student disability resource center director.

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"Some of these requests are not granted, mostly because the documentation does not satisfy our documentation requirements and substantiate the need for accommodations," said Russell, noting that 40 students are registered at Harvard with learning disabilities. "Just because a diagnosis exists doesn't mean that accommodations are indicated."

In several instances, parents have tried to procure accommodations for their children who just don't need it, Russell explained.

"[One problem] is overly ambitious parents who exaggerate symptoms to such an extent that the student is embarrassed to be presented in such a needy light. Often these students don't need accommodations," she explained. "They need a supportive academic environment."

When a disability does necessitate accommodations, there are no set rules as to which specific services the student can have. "There is no basket of accommodations to reach into," explained Nancy Pompian, coordinator of Dartmouth's student disability office.

At Princeton, accommodations are made based on individual requests by students registered with the Dean of the College. While there is not a complete list of accommodations available — the University realizes some students may need unique provisions, Porter emphasized — students with ADD most often request flexible examination regulations and a distraction-free environment in which to study.

In these cases, Porter said, students usually receive extra time on tests based on the "time-and-a-half" rule. For example, a student with ADD would be allowed 90 minutes to complete a 60-minute test. In addition, Porter's office can reserve a quiet room in a library or a classroom where the student can take the test.

Because several of her family members have ADD, Porter said she is familiar with the disorder on a personal level and believes these accommodations are appropriate. "With ADD, the student experiences an inability to sustain attention, to focus on one thing or to be able to tune out distractions," she explained.

Students unable to write legibly or distinguish between distinct letters are usually given similar accommodations. For these students, the University also offers audio recordings of texts and note-takers to accompany students to class.

For the most part, accommodations are not costly. In fact, exam and paper extensions and provision of distraction-free environments don't cost a penny. Other services, however, can be expensive and schools reserve the right to determine if it is reasonable to provide them, or if the student should be charged a fee. But exactly what is "reasonable" depends on individual cases.

"It's really hard to define what is reasonable," York said. "We don't reject based on the dollar figure, but it has to be a reasonable figure." Services that Yale provides at no charge include the supplying of note-takers and readers to help students study. Yale also offers scanning and voice-input services to allow dyslexic students to hear audio versions of textbooks, and arrangements for scribes or oral testing during exam periods.

Then there are the accommodations that must be made on a student-by-student basis, Tominey noted. For example, at Cornell, one disabled student did not know how to drive a car. "So we put him into a PE class so he learned how to bike around campus," he said.

Facing more students requesting accommodations and services, most Ivy League schools have consolidated their services for disabled students into one office, and some have moved these offices into their learning and teaching centers. The exception is Princeton — which does not have a student disability office but instead allocates the responsibility to the Dean of the College office.

By comparison, Cornell established a student disabilities office within the university's learning and teaching center in 1999. Previously, Cornell's equal opportunity office provided services for students with disabilities. However, the office could not offer faculty members the resources to help teach students with learning or attention disorders.

"What we have now is a wonderful model for services for students with learning disabilities because we work with both teachers and students," Tominey explained. He said the new system has worked so well that other schools such as the University of Pennsylvania have asked Cornell to conduct a review of their schools' services.

In September, Penn launched a review of its student disabilities services, said Alice Nagle, the school's assistant director of the People with Disabilities Program. "The university is looking at a better way of serving students with disabilities. The review is looking to unify [services] under one roof," she noted. "We're fragmented, and it isn't the best way to assist students."

Currently, Nagle added, students seeking help are often referred from one office to another — for example, from her office to the counseling office.

Though Princeton does not have a central office to deal with students with learning and attention disorders, Porter said she believes these students receive adequate services.

"We're certainly equipped with the counseling center, deans and directors of studies. We're generally aware if a kid is having a problem," she said. "We have the resources — they're just not all in the same place."

But with the impending student body increase as a result of the Wythes committee's decision last spring, the University might want to reexamine the need to consolidate resources for disability accommodations, Porter noted.

"Given our size, we're less inclined to centralize. This has worked well, so we haven't to this point had to centralize," she said. "But maybe with the increased class size it is something that would be useful."

Making the learning environment friendlier to those with learning or attention disorders is something all the Ivies are looking into.

Pompian said the biggest challenge Dartmouth faces is not in dealing with students, but with educating its faculty on learning and attention disorders.

"Unless they have some learning in these areas, it's difficult for them to spot these students," she explained. "Part of my job is advocating for students, because students aren't here to educate faculty about their disabilities."

According to Porter, Princeton is making efforts to reduce the stigma that often accompanies learning disabilities. She said she believes the hyperactive atmosphere at Princeton often cultivates a mentality of coping — that at Princeton one must learn to deal with his or her own problems privately. For students with disabilities, this can be detrimental.

"I'm sure there are kids here who have ADD or learning disabilities but don't want to acknowledge it because they see it as a stigma, which is really kind of sad," Porter said. "It is a disservice to kids perceived as weak."

To reduce this stigma, the University has started offering workshops on study skills and time management through the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. These services can help students struggling with undocumented learning disabilities, Porter noted. This assistance, in turn, can go a long way toward helping the University identify these students and help them reach their potential.

"The whole point is that the student is not working well to what is assumed to be his intellectual potential. What is holding him back? You can be outstanding in other parts of your life, understand principles really well but can't read a book," Porter said. "There shouldn't be a limit to the ability to achieve and excel."