Wounded Warriors in Higher Education

8/9/2019 Wounded Warriors in Higher Education

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[L]et us strive on to finish the work weare in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to

care for him who shall have borne thebattle.

Abraham LincolnSecond Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

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Wounded Warriorsin Higher Education

Presentation for Postsecondary Institutions

U.S. Department of EducationOffice for Civil Rights

AHEAD Teleconference PanelMay 20, 2010

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Office for Civil RightsU.S. Department of Education

This presentation provides general information and doesnot represent a complete recitation of the applicable lawand OCR policy in this area. It does not address specific

issues of compliance because determinations ofcompliance depend on specific facts on a case-by-case

basis. The language used in these slides is approved forthe purposes of this presentation only and should not be

used for other purposes.3


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More Key Considerations forWounded Warriors

Psychological processes for acceptingdisability status may take time Given their military background, some

warriors may equate disability withweakness

Their documentation of disability may notmeet the needs of higher education in

identifying appropriate accommodations5


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What Can OCR and Collegesdo to

Address the Needs

of Wounded Warriors ?

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Our Role as OCR Among other things, OCR is responsible for ensuring

that colleges afford everyone an equal educationalopportunity without regard to disability.

OCR also provides technical assistance to collegesand universities both with regard to what these lawsrequire and by identifying and sharing promisingpractices that have come to OCRs attention, largely

by listening carefully to college faculty, administratorsand students who are successfully meeting thechallenges and opportunities created by woundedwarriors.

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Your Role as CollegeRepresentatives?

Is your campus prepared forthe OEF/OIF wounded warriors?

A recently completed voluntary, nationalsurvey of disabled student services officersreveals that roughly two-thirds believetheir campuses are not currently prepared.

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Your Role asCollege Representatives

To prepare your campus for returning wounded warriorsincluding the hundreds of thousands of individuals who haveregistered for benefits under the New GI Bill.

To provide notice to wounded warriors who are or may beindividuals with disabilities of students responsibilities,protections from discrimination and rights to services andaccommodations under Section 504 and Title II.

To engage in an interactive process with wounded warriors toassist them in presenting documentation of their disabilities.

To engage with them in a diligent search/interactive process forappropriate accommodations (academic adjustment andauxiliary aids) such as a reduced course load, extra time onexams, real time captioning , and alternate media.

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Your Role (contd)

To ensure that authorized accommodations areimplemented.

To make available effective means (a grievanceprocedure) for veterans to appeal determinationsconcerning Section 504/Title II disability status, choice of accommodations, implementation of accommodations, andto file other allegations of disability discrimination such as

an alleged hostile environment on the basis of disability.

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Your Role (contd) To have a campus with architecturally

accessible new construction and alteredfacilities including classrooms, food servicecenters, labs, dorms, performance andrecreation facilities.

To ensure, no matter where currently located,all programs and activities are accessible.

ADA Standards, ANSI, or UFAS compliancemay not be a safe harbor as to the access

needs of an individual wounded warrior.11


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What May It Take for Colleges toAttract, Retain, and Graduate

Wounded Warriors ?

Examples of promising practicescollected from colleges and

universities12


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What May It take?

Another suggested promising practice: A campus-wide interdisciplinary committee toaddress the needs of veterans, service members,and wounded warriors including: DSO, VSO,advising, counseling, student health, academicdeans, curriculum development, campus security,student discipline, drug and alcohol abuseprograms, housing, physical education, athletic andentertainment events services, recreation andintramural sports, on-line learning, technology

acquisition, adaptive technology, campus transit,and grounds/facilities maintenance 14


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What May It take? Policy and service review with regard to:

requesting the removal of program access barriers requesting and documenting the need for

accommodations adding, dropping, and withdrawing from classes bringing on campus personal attendants discipline drug and alcohol abuse suicide prevention use and control of service animals

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What May It Take? Veteran-centric programs

A veteran/service member/wounded warrior-basedfocus group to help identify how the campus canwelcome and support such students

A new student orientation run by and for

veterans/service members/wounded warriors A clear, comprehensive, point of contact for all

types of veterans and service members, as aportal, or as a one stop shop through whichveterans may resolve common administrative taskslike course registration, housing registration, GIbill benefit registration

Academic credit to veterans, service members andwounded warriors for military experience 16


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What May It Take? Places where service members and veterans, including

wounded warriors can congregate and support oneanother --- vets house, center, fraternity, etc., toenable these individuals:

to network with their peers to advocate for better policies and practices oncampus

to engage in social interaction instead of isolation to emerge as campus leaders to eventually create and implement their own

programs

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What May It Take?More vetcentric promising practice programs:

Late registration and late drop privileges forveterans/service members/wounded warriors

Campus events honoring veterans Athletic/strength training activities for veterans,

service members and wounded warriors

Housing programs that allow veterans/servicemembers/wounded warriors to pair up asroommates/floor mates and contain vet-centric

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What May It Take? Reconsideration of mobility access for

wounded warriors: Review of access to housing, classrooms, labs,

performances centers, dining facilities,counseling/advising/health services, athletic andstrength training centers, parking, paths of travel

Include wounded warriors in the campus-wide accessreview

Appoint, train, empower, and publish notice of anindividual with the authority to promptly removeprogram and facility access barriers

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What May It Take? (cont.) Revision of DSS services:

An opportunity to lead other campus componentsin preparing for wounded warriors

New name/location that is more vet-friendly;e.g., Access Services Adoption of vet-centric outreach through channels

of communication veterans/service members andwounded warriors are likely to use like VA countyservice centers, on-campus veterans service office,veterans web-sites and social network sites.

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What May It Take (DSS)? (cont.) Modification of documentation requirements to terms vet

service providers will understand VA coordination Reasonable modification in the provision of auxiliary aids

to meet the individual needs of persons late to theirdisabilities, such as preparation and assistance in usingreal time captioning, alternate media services and otheraids

Consistent with civil rights requirements, development of

disability access standards and measures for all on-linelearning programs Participation by DSS in technology acquisition to ensure

adaptive measures are included in planning, budgeting

and technology acquisition21


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What May It Take (cont.) Off campus outreach by a campus team to:

Local VA medical center/polytrauma center Local military base transition programs, training officers andfamily assistance centers

Veterans Assistance Centers

Mental health services Drug and alcohol abuse services Su icide prevention programs

Local Vocational Rehabilitation Office U.S. Department of Labors Transition Assistance Program

vendor, such as an employment development agency

Governors programs22


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Resources --The New GI Bill

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http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.html
http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.htmlhttp://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.htmlhttp://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.htmlhttp://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.html

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Wounded Warriors in Higher Education