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Faculty Guide

Defining Disabilities

To be considered disabled under either ADA or 504, a person must have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, has a record of such an impairment or is regarded as having such an impairment.

Each student requesting classroom accommodations must present the appropriate documentation to the ADAPTS Office. Listed below are the categories of disabilities.

Visual Disability

Disorders in the structure and function of the eye as evidenced by at least one of the following: (a) visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction, (b) a peripheral field so constricted that it affects one’s ability to function in an educational setting, (3) a progressive loss of vision that may affect one’s ability to function in an educational setting. Examples include, but are not limited to, cataracts, glaucoma, nystagmus, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa and strabismus.

Physical Disability

Conditions that impact the musculoskeletal, connective tissue or neuromuscular system are physically disabling conditions which may require an adaptation to one’s school environment or curriculum. Examples include, but are not limited to, cerebral palsy, absence of some body member, clubfoot, nerve damage, cardiovascular aneurysm (CVA), head injury and spinal cord injury, arthritis and rheumatism, intracranial hemorrhage, multiple schlerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and muscular distrophy.

Hearing/ Auditory Disability

A hearing loss of 30 decibels or greater, pure tone average of 500, 1000, 2000 Hz, ANSI, unaided, in the better ear. Examples include, but are not limited to, conductive hearing impairment or deafness, sensorineural hearing impairment or deafness, high or low tone hearing loss or deafness and acoustic trauma hearing loss or deafness.

Specific Learning Disabilities

A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological or neurological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language. Disorders may be manifested in listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling or performing arithmetic calculations. Examples include, but are not limited to, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dysphasia and dsycalculia. Such disorders do not include learning problems due primarily to visual, hearing or motor handicaps; mental retardation; emotional disturbance; or an environmental deprivation.

Speech Disability

Disorders of language, articulation, fluency or voice that interfere with communication, pre-academic or academic learning, vocational training or social adjustment. Examples include, but are not limited to, cleft lip and/or palate with speech impairment, stammering, stuttering, laryngectomy and aphasia.

Mobility and Dexterity Impairments

Mobility impairments range in severity from limitations on stamina to paralysis. Some mobility impairments are caused by conditions present at birth while others are the result of illness or physical injury.

Quadriplegia, paralysis of the extremities of the trunk, is caused by a neck injury; students with quadriplegia have limited or no use of their arms and hands.

Paraplegia, paralysis of the lower extremities and the lower trunk, is caused by an injury to the mid-back; students with paraplegia have full movement of their arms and hands.

Other Disabilities

Not limited to the conditions listed below.

Mental, Psychological or Personality Disorders

Any emotional or behavioral neurosis that has, or could create, an unstable condition in the individual’s actions.

Cardiovascular and Circulatory Conditions

Includes, but is not limited to, congenital heart disease, rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease, arteriosclerotic and degenerative heart disease, and other conditions of the circulatory system.

Blood Serum Disorders

Hemophilia, sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS and disorders where the cause is unknown.

Respiratory Disorders

Tuberculosis of the respiratory system, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, pneumoconiosis and asbestosis, bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis and sinusitis, and other disease of the respiratory system.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurological condition that affects learning and behavior. Students may be easily distracted, impulsive, hyperactive, and inconsistent.

Other Chronic Health Conditions

Other conditions that require administrative or academic adjustment such as class schedules, parking and course adjustments, and do not fit into any of the above categories may also qualify