Disability Services for Graduate and Professional Students

A collaboration between the Administrators in Graduate and Professional Student Services (AGAPSS) Knowledge Community and the Disability Knowledge Community, this live briefing will aid attendees in their understanding of disability issues in higher education and student affairs as they relate to serving graduate and professional students, and will provide them with information, resources, and tools for addressing and meeting these unique needs.

Cindy Poore-Pariseau, Ph.D., the director of disability services at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences will highlight the importance of understanding that the disability-related laws applied to higher education are different than those that govern K12; higher education accommodations are created to provide access, without ever lowering standards. Also presented will be the fact that all students/situations/disabilities present differently. Two students may have the same disability and be in the same course, but have different accommodations.

Matt Imboden, the executive director of integrative student services at Wake Forest University School of Business, alongside Michael Shuman, the director of disability services at Wake Forest University, will characterize the key features of an effective relationship between front-line student affairs teams and centralized campus disability and compliance officials. They will show how, together, they are able to support the success of all students, including those navigating disabilities related concerns ranging from the simple to the quite complex.  

Learning Outcomes

By participating in this session, attendees will:

• be able to articulate who qualifies as a student with a disability in higher education;
• learn where/how to access resources to answer questions related to students with disabilities in higher education;
• gain an awareness of the issues relevant to front-line student affairs staff in managing and administering appropriate accommodations;
• better understand the aspects of a strong and collaborative partnership between grad and professions student affairs administrators and campus disability compliance officials and certifying offices; and
• develop a deeper understanding of how to negotiate the accommodation needs of graduate and professional students with disabilities.