The Seventh Annual Disabilities Symposium
University of Pennsylvania
Thursday, April 3, 2008

Registration / Schedule / Hotel and Travel /
Plenary Speakers / Workshops / Symposium Main Page

Workshops

Morning

1. New Directions in the Assessment and Treatment of Students with ADHD
   
   Lenard Adler, MD., Director of the Adult ADHD Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at New York University
   The author of “Scattered Minds: Hope and Help for Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” will explore new directions and present information on the latest research on the assessment and treatment of college students with ADHD. This session will provide valuable information and greater understanding of the effect that ADHD has on cognitive functioning, social interaction, and academic performance that will help university administrators and disability service providers when determining reasonable academic accommodations and supportive services for students.



2. The Intersection between Learning Resources and Student Disability Services
   
   Karen Marbury, M.Ed., Learning Instructor, Weingarten Learning Resources Center, University of Pennsylvania
   This interactive session will examine the integral relationship between reasonable academic accommodation for a disability and instructional support to help increase a student’s academic potential.  The University of Pennsylvania successfully combined the Office of Student Disabilities Services and the Office of Learning Resources to form the Weingarten Learning Resources Center.  Karen Marbury, as the Learning Instructor for Students with Disabilities, is responsible for making this connection work.  Participants will explore ways to develop a similar connection on their own campuses.



3. New Directions in Universal Design of Instruction
   
   Manju Banerjee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut
   Universal Design of Instruction (UDI) is increasingly gaining more support and greater realization in secondary and postsecondary curriculum. UDI emphasizes the effective use of technologies to facilitate equal access to information.  This session will explore how to incorporate freeware, vendor demo software, and other low and high end technologies to create accessible course information and materials that can be used by all students in the class. The goal of this new generation of disability services will be to create supported/scaffolded environments, in collaboration with faculty, that are available to all students via existing university information platforms.



4. New Directions in Higher Education and Disability
   
   Colleen Lewis, MS., Director of Disability Services, Columbia University
   Disability Services in higher education is a quickly changing, rapidly evolving field. This workshop will take a futuristic look at emerging trends in this developing field, including shifts in underpinning ideologies, service paradigms, technology, and of course, the populations of college students with disabilities themselves.  Plenty of time will be available to ask questions and discuss current emerging issues and trends on your campuses.

 

Afternoon

5. New Directions from Students with Disabilities
   
   Max Schapiro (Wharton ’08), Moderator
   This session provides new directions and ideas from a panel of students with disabilities from several northeastern colleges and universities. Students will provide valuable information on the effectiveness of our policies and procedures, academic adjustments and accommodations, use of technology, and environmental modifications.  Students will comment on the transition to postsecondary education including the effect of having a disability on social adjustment and interactions with the campus community.  Plenty of time will be reserved for questions from the audience.



6. Accommodations on High-Stakes Standardized Tests: The ADA & Documentation Requirements
   
   John Hosterman, PhD., Director of Disabilities Services for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
   This session will explore the legal requirements and criteria necessary to be considered as a person with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and review typical requirements for documenting disabilities for high-stakes exams.  There will be a particular emphasis on explaining the components of comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation to determine the need for accommodation.  Lastly, the session will outline a number of common reasons why accommodation requests are denied, and what students and disability-service providers can do to present a stronger case. 



7. More than Sadness: Depression and Bipolar Disorder on the College Campus
   
   Louis Littman, MD., PhD., private practice psychiatrist in Philadelphia and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
   Suzanne Datto, MD., private research consultant in Philadelphia
   Dr. Littman and Dr. Datto will present an overview of the effects of depression and bipolar disorder on patients, with a particular emphasis on the effects of these mental illnesses on college students.  Topics discussed will include how these illnesses affect mood, sleep regulation, energy, concentration, and other physical aspects of the patients that can interfere with school and social function.  Additionally, the psychological effects of diagnosis, changes in self-esteem and peer-interactions, and the effects of stigma will be discussed.  Excerpts from a manuscript that Dr. Littman and Dr. Datto are currently writing, detailing personal observations of the effects of bipolar disorder, will be presented.



8. The Journey to Self -Advocacy:  Teaching Students with Disabilities to Effectively Communicate Their Needs
   
   Deborah McCarthy, MS., Disability Services Coordinator, University of Texas at Austin
   Students with disabilities are an increasing voice on college campuses.   In this interactive workshop educators will explore ways we can help students develop the skills necessary to successfully become strong self-advocates.  Drawing from personal and professional experience as well as student development theory, the presenter will examine questions such as: What characterizes effective self-advocacy for students with disabilities?  What if the best accommodation is “No?”   What is the relationship between civility and self-advocacy, and what tools do students need in order to make the journey to self-advocacy?