Course Syllabus
LDN 642—Understanding Disability Documentation, Accommodations, and ADA Compliance
This course is the part of the online professional certificate program in Learning Differences and Neurodiversity (LDN) offered by Landmark College, with specializations in “Executive Function,” “Autism Online and on Campus,” or “Post-Secondary Disability Services” (coming Fall 2022).
This 3-credit course provides a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of disability documentation and the accommodation decision-making process by disability service providers at the postsecondary level. Participants will learn about the history and current trends in documentation guidelines, as well as how to read, interpret, and review postsecondary disability documentation, including those with missing data, for making accommodation decisions. This course will also introduce you to commonly used test instruments used in LD/ADHD/autism diagnoses, as well as some of the challenges of real-life accommodation decisions; and finding creative solutions. Throughout the course we will focus on practical applications, understanding the legal landscape, and findings from research. Assignments at the end of each module (eight modules in total) are designed to increase your depth and breadth of knowledge on disability documentation and accommodations. Please note to earn the three graduate credits, students must achieve a grade of 80% or higher.
Three graduate credits will be awarded per course for students achieving a grade of 80% or greater.
This is an 8-week course, consisting of modules for each week. Please note, module 4 is spread over two weeks. Each module includes several micro-units. Micro-units are subtopics within the modules. Each micro-unit contains learning activities (various types of independently accessed content), a warm-up activity designed to get you thinking about the topic and activate background knowledge, a participation prompt (asynchronous opportunities to provide thoughts and insights for classmates). Modules 1 and 2 open on the first day of the course; modules 3-8 open roughly 2 weeks in advance of its synchronous session.
The course also includes 6 weekly online synchronous sessions scheduled primarily in the evenings (Eastern Time). We will make every attempt to accommodate individual schedules. Participants should plan on attending at least 5 of the 6 synchronous sessions. Synchronous sessions will be hosted via Blue Jeans.
Modules also include one short answer question designed to increase your understanding of the subtopics, the research base, and critical perspectives shaping postsecondary disability services. There are 6 short answer questions; modules 4 and 7 do not have this assignment.
The course uses Canvas as its Learning Management System (LMS). Registered participants will be provided with details to log on within the week before the start of classes.
The course objectives align with professional standards and best practices in the higher education disability services field.
At the conclusion of this course students will:
1 SWD – Students with Disabilities
2 Technical specifications include: Edition or most current version of test; when the test was first published; purpose of test , including whether it is diagnostic or screening; age group; what is measured- including any subtests; scoring; reliability and validity (if provided).
- Possess a comprehensive understanding of the disability services profession and associated philosophies
- Have developed an understanding of how to operate a disability services office in accordance with the program standards promoted by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
- Have developed a plan for the continuation of their professional development in disability services.
| Week/Module | Micro-units/Sub-topics | Action Items |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 The Changing Significance of Disability Documentation | • What is disability documentation? • A brief history of disability documentation. • Current trends in documentation guidelines. • Response to Intervention (RTI) as a diagnostic tool. • Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADA AA) and its implications for disability documentation and accommodation decisions | 1. Review the syllabus and familiarize yourself with Canvas/course format 2. Complete your Introduction post 3. Complete the Pre-Course Survey 4. Warm-up activity response ASSIGNMENTS 5. Participation prompt 6. Synchronous session 1: Participation and discussion 7. Short answer: Write a brief summary of key findings from one of the readings or the PP slide deck. (approximately 2-3 paragraphs) |
| Week 2 Student Intake | • Introduction–Importance of student intake • Recommendations for conducting a student intake • The student intake process and logistics • Importance of promoting student self-advocacy and independence (PowerPoint) • Understanding student hesitancy to connect • Conducting student intake with no disability documentation • Conducting in-house student screening for students with LD | 1. Warm-up activity ASSIGNMENTS 2. Participation prompt 3. Synchronous session 2: Participation and discussion 4. Short answer: Given the article on student hesitancy, why is here student hesitancy to connect with DS services, and what would you do to encourage SWD’s to connect with the DS office? (Write a short answer response) |
| Week 3 Disability Documentation Guidelines | • Introduction– Understanding disability documentation guidelines (general) • Documentation guidelines for cognitive disorders, psychiatric disorders and physical and medical disorders • Current trends and recent research in documentation guidelines • Disability Documentation and ADA AA compliance | 1. Warm-up activity ASSIGNMENTS 2. Participation prompt 3. Synchronous session 3: Participation and discussion 4. Short answer: Is background history important in reviewing disability documentation? Should background history outweigh test scores? (Write a short answer response) |
| Week 4 Diagnostic Instruments and Battery of Tests for LD and ADHD | • Units of measurement • Tests of cognition • Tests of achievement • Tests of executive function (EF) • Test of phonological processing | 1. Warm-up activity ASSIGNMENTS 2. Participation prompt 3. Synchronous session 4: Participation and Discussion NO SHORT ANSWER |
| Week 5 Diagnostic Instruments and Battery of Tests for LD and ADHD (contd.) | • Tests of ADHD • Tests used in mental health/psychiatric diagnoses • Test of malingering • Other miscellaneous assessment measures | 1. Warm-up activity ASSIGNMENTS 2. Participation prompt 3. NO Synchronous session 4. Short answer: Summarize the technical specification s of one selected standardized test of your choice. Why are technical specifications of tests and test administration important? |
| Week 6 Reviewing psychoeducational evaluation | • Review of a psychoeducational evaluation report • Making decisions based on review of psychoeducational evaluation reports for college students with LD and/or ADHD | 1. Warm-up activity ASSIGNMENTS 2. Participation prompt 3. Synchronous session-6 Participation and discussion 4. Short answer: Review the hypothetical student case in the module. Would you approve any of the requested accommodations? Please explain. |
| Week 7 Making decisions about specific accommodations | • Making accommodation decision for college students on your campus • Highlights of accommodation decision-making • Making decisions about specific accommodations: – Extra time – Note-taker – Foreign language substitution | 1. Warm-up activity ASSIGNMENTS 2. Participation prompt 3. Synchronous session -7 4. Short answer: Review the disability documentation provided in this module. This is an authentic case and includes diagnostic instruments that you may have to look up online. Please summarize the documentation and then write up your review decision(s) in light of the requested accommodations. |
| Week 8 Case Study–Documentation Review and Accommodation Determination | • Practicing review of psychoeducational evaluations • Documenting and justifying your decisions – being able to defend your decision if decision is appealed • Planning ahead for any Office of Civil Rights (OCR) inquiry | 1. Warm-up activity NO Synchronous session NO ASSIGNMENTS You have 2 weeks to complete the short answer assignment from Module 7 |
1 SWD – Students with Disabilities
2 Technical specifications include: Edition or most current version of test; when the test was first published; purpose of test , including whether it is diagnostic or screening; age group; what is measured- including any subtests; scoring; reliability and validity (if provided).
The course objectives align with professional standards and best practices in the higher education disability services field. They are aligned to the program standards
At the conclusion of Understanding Disability Documentation, Accommodations, and ADA Compliance course, students will have:
AHEAD Competencies by Weekly Topics Table
- A comprehensive understanding of past and current trends in disability documentation and the differing perspectives on disability documentation guidelines.
- Working knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADA AA) and its implications for disability service providers.
- Awareness of the research shaping thinking around disability documentation and accommodation decision-making.
- An understanding of the commonly used test instruments in diagnosing LD and ADHD and the interpretation of test scores.
- Be able to engage in the process of accommodation decision-making based on documentation and other sources of information.
- The skills needed to review non-hypothetical disability documentation to make accommodation decisions as professional disability service providers.
AHEAD Competencies by Weekly Topics Table
| Week/Module | Topics | Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 The Changing Significance of Disability Documentation | • What is disability documentation? • A brief history of disability documentation. • Current trends in disability documentation guidelines. • Response to Intervention (RTI) as a diagnostic tool. • Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADA AA) and its implications for disability documentation and accommodation decisions | 1.1; 1.2; 1.8; 1.11 3.3 5.1 |
| Week 2 Student Intake | • Introduction–Importance of student intake • Recommendations for conducting a student intake • The student intake process and logistics • Importance of promoting student self-advocacy and independence (PowerPoint) • Understanding student hesitancy to connect • Conducting student intake with no disability documentation • Conducting in-house student screening for students with LD | 2.1 3.4; 3.7 |
| Week 3 Disability Documentation Guidelines | • Introduction–Understanding disability documentation guidelines • Documentation guidelines for cognitive disorders, psychiatric disorders and physical and medical disorders • Current trends and recent research in documentation guidelines • Disability Documentation and ADA AA compliance | 1.8 3.3 |
| Week 4 Diagnostic instruments and Battery of Tests for LD and ADHD | • Units of measurement • Tests of cognition • Tests of achievement • Tests of executive function (EF) • Test of phonological processing | 4.1 |
| Week 5 Diagnostic Instruments and Battery of Tests for LD and ADHD (contd.) | • Tests of ADHD • Tests used in mental health diagnoses • Test of malingering • Other miscellaneous assessment measures | 4.1 |
| Week 6 Reviewing psychoeducational evaluation | • Review of an actual psychoeducational case–Katie C. • Using the accommodation decision making model to review disability documentation | 1.4 |
| Week 7 Making decisions about specific accommodations | • Making accommodation decision for college students on your campus • Highlights of accommodation decision-making • Making decisions about specific accommodations: – Extra time – Note-taker • Foreign language substitution | 1.10 5.1 |
| Week 8 Case Study–Documentation Review and accommodation determination | 8.4 |
Details of the Module format are as follows:
- Objectives: Each Module will start by articulating the objectives for that Module. The objectives will list anticipated learning topics that will be addressed in each Module.
- Warm-up Activities: Warm-up Activities are designed to help create a community of learners within this course, to understand each other’s perspectives, and to engage in discourse. Warm-up Activities will be posed at the start of each Module as a query or a scenario to get us thinking about the topic as a group. You can post your own insights, observations, and/or respond to someone else’s posting. This portion is not graded but engaging in this step will help foster a much deeper learning experience for yourself and your classmates.
- Learning Activities: Leaning Activities serve as instructional content for the module topics. (Example: Reading/reviewing module content; Viewing/listening to PowerPoint slides; Readings; Assignments; Targeted Website Browsing and so on).
- Participation Prompts: The Participation Prompt section is like a discussion blog. Instructors will post questions that are designed to guide knowledge acquisition and application of the concepts within each Module. You will need to post an original response and comment on the response of a classmate. [Graded]
- Synchronous Class Discussion/Talk Time: Talk Time is the synchronous meeting time for the course. During this time, we will address queries and points to ponder for discussion. This live discussion will be hosted via BlueJeans. [Graded]
- Short Answer Response: At the end of each module, excluding Module 4 and Module 8, you are asked to respond to a specific question about the readings or content in the Module. [Graded]
- Final Assignment: You will be asked to review a real-life psychoeducational evaluation, summarize the highlights of the case, including student’s cognitive, academic, emotional profile, and then make a review decision about the requested accommodation(s). You will follow a think-aloud approach as demonstrated in Module 5. [Graded]
Due to the fast-paced nature of this course, all assignments are due by midnight of the assigned date. Late responses impact grading up until a specific date (please see the grading rubrics) and submissions of assignments beyond the latest date cannot be accepted unless the instructors are contacted, in advance, regarding extenuating circumstances.
The final course grade is determined by the following three categories of assignments. Please reference the course rubrics for more detailed information on grading/expectations.
The final course grade is determined by the following three categories of assignments. Please reference the course rubrics for more detailed information on grading/expectations.
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- Participation Prompts and Comments
35 points total; 5 points each; respond to at least 7 participation prompts. If you respond to all 8, your lowest score will be automatically dropped.
Participation Prompts consist of 2 steps:- Posting an original response AND
- Posting a comment related to someone else’s response
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Talk Time/Synchronous Class Discussions
25 points total; 5 points each (if all 6 sessions are attended the lowest grade will be dropped and up to 1 point of extra credit may be awarded)
During Talk Time (synchronous virtual meetings) we will be discussing live the queries and comments presented by course participants and instructors. Participants can receive up to 5 points for each of the Talk Time sessions. In these sessions, we are looking for your active participation and thoughtful engagement. There will be 6 talk times in all; you should plan to participate in at least 5 of these synchronous sessions. If a student is unable to attend these sessions live, the recording may be viewed immediately following the meeting, and a written reflection submitted as a substitute for live discussion within 48 hours. The written reflection should demonstrate analysis and synthesis of the discussion, along with the incorporation of personal thoughts and ideas. This reflection should aim to be 250-400 words (word count can be measured in Microsoft Word as an entire document or by highlighting a specific amount of text; word count is shown in the bottom left-hand corner of the program window. -
Short Answer Responses to Module Questions
40 (30+10) points total; 6 points each for 5 questions, except for the last question in Module 7, which is worth 10 points.
To deepen your knowledge-base and scope of understanding of postsecondary disability documentation and accommodations, we have added a short answer question for modules: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. These questions are designed to increase your understanding of the module topics, become familiar with relevant research, and critical thinking around issues of importance for disability services. Each short answer must be submitted by Friday of that week. The last short answer response must be completed and submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern on the last day of the course.
Scoring rubrics for the short answers are as follows:- Quality of response (comprehensive and well thought out response) – 4 points
- Citations or additional resources – 1 point
- Grammar, syntax, spelling – 1 point
- Participation Prompts and Comments
