Disabilities

Defining Disabilities

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Blind & Low Vision
Brain or Head Injury
Deaf & Hard of Hearing
Learning Disabilities
Medical Conditions
Mental Illness or Psychological Disability
Physical Disability/Mobility ImpairmentOther Disabilities

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Medical research treats this disorder as neurobiological in origin. ADD and ADHD tend to be transmitted genetically and are characterized by chemical abnormalities in the brain. According to the DSM-IV (the diagnostic manual used by physicians), ADD can occur in three forms: inattentive type, hyperactive-impulsive type, and combined type.

Most children diagnosed with these deficits have symptoms that persist into adulthood and affect social, academic and occupational functioning to a significant degree. Other conditions, including learning disabilities, anxiety and depression, often co-exist. ADD/ADHD is not due to poor parenting or diet. It is manageable through a combination of medical intervention, compensatory strategies and academic accommodations.

Blind and Low Vision

To be considered legally blind, an individual's visual acuity must be equal to or less than 20/200 and impossible to correct by medical or surgical means or corrective eye wear.

Low vision refers to visual acuity between 20/70 and 20/200. Some individuals with low vision can distinguish only light or darkness, or varying patterns and shapes. Many are able to read only with difficulty and may rely on large print materials and optical aids such as magnifying devices, tactile drawings, print enhancer's and reading software.

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Brain or Head Injury

A brain injury is a traumatic insult to the brain. It may be the result of a violent concussion (e.g., car accident, stroke), penetration of the skull, or illness. The injury may be mild, moderate or severe and varies greatly from person to person. A brain injury may result in numerous impairments, including the following:

physical impairments , such as paralysis, susceptibility to seizures, and impairments of speech,
vision, and hearing

cognitive impairments , such as loss of concentration, short and long-term memory loss, and loss of
communication skills
behavioral impairments , such as anxiety, depression, loss of motivation, and fluctuations in mood.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Deafness is a profound hearing loss in which there has been damage to the auditory pathway. Individuals who are deaf may utilize sign language interpreters to assist them with communication.

A person with a mild to moderate hearing loss may be described as hard of hearing.

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Learning Disabilities

Algonquin College 's Centre for Students with Disabilities provides services for students who have learning disabilities as they are defined by the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (2001):

"Learning Disabilities" refers to a variety of disorders that affect the acquisition, retention, understanding, organization or use of verbal and/or non-verbal information. These disorders result from impairments in one or more psychological processes related to learning (footnote a), in combination with otherwise average abilities essential for thinking and reasoning. Learning disabilities are specific not global impairments and as such are distinct from intellectual disabilities

Learning disabilities range in severity and invariably interfere with the acquisition and use of one or more of the following important skills:

• oral language (e.g.,, listening, speaking, understanding)
• reading (e.g.,, decoding, comprehension)
• written language (e.g.,, spelling, written expression)
• mathematics (e.g., computation, problem solving)

Learning disabilities may also cause difficulties with organizational skills, social perception and social interaction.

The impairments are generally life-long. However, their effects may be expressed differently over time, depending on the match between the demands of the environment and the individual's characteristics. Some impairments may be noted during the pre-school years, while others may not become evident until much later. During the school years, learning disabilities are suggested by unexpectedly low academic achievement or achievement that is sustainable only by extremely high levels of effort and support.

Learning disabilities are due to genetic, other congenital and/or acquired neuro-biological factors. They are not caused by factors such as cultural or language differences, inadequate or inappropriate instruction, socio-economic status or lack of motivation, although any one of these and other factors may compound the impact of learning disabilities. Frequently learning disabilities co-exist with other conditions, including attentional, behavioral and emotional disorders, sensory impairments or other medical conditions.

For success, persons with learning disabilities require specialized interventions in home, school, community and workplace settings, appropriate to their individual strengths and needs, including:

specific skill instruction;
the development of compensatory strategies;
the development of self-advocacy skills;
appropriate accommodations.

Footnote (a): The term "psychological processes" describes an evolving list of cognitive functions. To date, research has focused on functions such as:

phonological processing
memory and attention
processing speed
language processing
perceptual-motor processing
visual-spatial processing
executive functions (e.g., planning, monitoring and metacognitive abilities)

Students desiring academic accommodations for a learning disability must provide The Centre for Students with Disabilities with a psychoeducational assessment documenting that they have a specific learning disability.

The psychoeducational assessment must include:

a clear diagnostic statement ("_____ has a specific learning disability…")

an analysis of the subtest scores detailing the student's cognitive strengths and weaknesses

the results of both psychological tests and academic-skills tests

the signature of a registered psychologist or registered psychological associate

Although a recent psychoeducational assessment is most useful, we will accept documentation older than three years (for interim use) on the grounds that students do not outgrow learning disabilities; we do not deny services to students who have not been assessed recently. Even if recent assessments are available, we request to see early assessments as well, because students often find that they illuminate the nature of their early school experiences. We often refer the student to a psychologist for further testing to update an assessment.

We require the assessment to specify that the student has a "learning disability". We do not accept other designations, such as "learning difficulty", "learning difference", or "language weakness".

Students with learning disabilities deal with the problems posed by the disability itself and with a secondary problem: because their disability is invisible, the seriousness of its effects may be underestimated or dismissed by those around them. Learning disabilities act like static on the radio or the interference that creates a fuzzy TV picture; information is scrambled as it is processed, retained, or expressed by the brain. Learning disabilities may cause problems in spelling, reading, grammar, writing fluency, social skills, organization skills, time management, and study skills.

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Medical Conditions

Medical conditions refer to serious health problems that may be chronic or acute and that interfere with functioning. This category includes conditions such as epilepsy, kidney disease, HIV-related illnesses, cancer, fibromyalgia, tuberculosis, and diabetes.

The presence of a medical condition may result in absences due to the effects of medication, treatment schedules, fatigue, and pain.

Mental Illness or Psychological Disability

Mental illnesses or psychological disabilities are conditions either temporary or permanent that have a significant, serious impact on an individual's functioning.

Included in this category are conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and mood disorders.

A psychological disability will often not be apparent in the classroom. Many psychological disabilities are invisible and episodic in nature. Psychological disabilities are the most frequently misunderstood and stereotyped of all the disabilities. Questions about psychological disabilities should be addressed in private to protect student confidentiality.

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Physical Disabilities/Mobility Impairment

Generally, there are two types of physical disabilities that affect mobility: orthopedic and neurological.

Orthopedic disabilities involve a deformity of the skeletal system. The impairment can be the result of a congenital anomaly (e.g., scoliosis, Spina Bifida), the result of disease, (e.g., Muscular Dystrophy, Arthritis), or the result of trauma or accident (e.g., amputation)

Neurological disabilities involve the nervous system affecting the ability to move, use or control certain parts of the body. Such impairments can be the result of a congenital anomaly (e.g., Cerebral Palsy), the result of disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, carpal tunnel syndrome), or the result of an accident (e.g., spinal cord injury, head trauma).

This category includes other dysfunctions that necessitate the use of support services or programs and do not fall within the categories listed above. One example is a severe speech impediment.

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