1. Intake vs. Interview: Applying the Appreciative Advising Model in the Accommodation Process
Grace Moskola, M.a.
Director, Accessibility Services
Rollins College, Winter Park, FL

2. Appreciative advising basics
Developed by Dr. Jenny Bloom based on Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Psychology
Puts the student in the driver’s seat through conversational and intentional interviewing strategies utilizing open-ended questioning
Easy to implement, common-sense steps
Safeguards against students “falling through the cracks”
Helps advisors/student affairs professionals better understand student needs
Adaptable to any office!

3. Different approaches What do you call your initial student meeting?
Intake vs. Welcome Meeting
A patient vs. a guest in your home
How does the seating look?
The administrator vs. the collaborator
What is your follow-up messaging
Little to none? A form letter? Or Personalized? or phone call?
Transactional or Conversational?
How do different diagnoses affect the conversation?

4. Intake vs. interview: what’s the difference?
Definitions:
Intake: An amount of food, air, or other substance taken into the body
Alcohol intake, caloric intake, being a NUMBER
A location through which something is taken in
Water into a pipe or channel from a river; fuel or air into a machine (being sucked in forcefully)
Interview: A meeting of PEOPLE face to face, for consultation

5. How did you first learn to conduct the initial student meeting?
Observation of supervisor
Who else, what other styles did you observe?
Medical Model approach- what is “wrong” with the student and what are they “asking” for?
Transactional- They ask, you are the gate keeper of knowledge and accommodations
Matching accommodations to disabilities rather than humans to new ideas/approaches
The fear of the unknown- I’m not ready for things to be grey yet. Uncertain of the “right answers,” scared to make a mistake.
What if the students actually had all the answers all along?
Are you still asking the same questions and telling the same jokes?

6. The Appreciative advising Difference
The student is the expert of their disability
The student has an idea of what access they need, but may need help refining that vision
The student is the designer, you are the cheerleader, coach, strategist, and accountability partner
Dreams, goals, hopes, wins, and passions are more valuable than assessments and past failures
Your honest belief in the students’ ability to be successful is critical
But what about success vs. access? We don’t guarantee success, but what is one without the other?
Success is measured in different ways.
“College isn’t for everyone.” What does that really mean?
Discover students’ motivation
Judgment-free zone

7. Disarm
Recognize the student as a unique person of value, no matter how similar they seem or tired you are
Notice something!
What can you say that will make them feel appreciated and related to?
Understand the barriers that may have happened before they walked through the door
Set a safe and welcoming tone with environmental aspects
Equal seating, representation of diversity, pictures of family, pets, peaceful lighting, homey, not lawyer-y
Disarm every time you meet, not just the first time.

8. discover “Who are you and why are you in my office?”
What led them to meet with you?
What are their immediate, intermediate, and long-term goals?
What is going RIGHT? What went RIGHT in the past? What is probably going to go RIGHT in the future?
What accommodations could alter an inadequate or unbalanced situation?
But what about their DISABILITIES?
Person-first means PERSON first
Documentation- how did it tell a story before the meeting?
Your role as facilitator, not health care provider

9. design
Accommodation plans are not blueprints, they are situational and flexible
Discuss the design of the educational environment and what works/doesn’t work
Design a plan together through an interactive process
Ask, don’t tell. Discuss, don’t dictate.
Develop small, realistic, concrete goals
A design plan for continued communication:
How? Phone, , owl?
How often?
What are the best check points?

10. dream The Dream phase as a floater
After foundational issues are addressed, what else is there?
What are the student’s long-term goals and how can you help them reach them?
They don’t know what they don’t know. Become a resource expert.
Career readiness, internships, study abroad, volunteer opportunities
What accommodation issues can you help address in these areas?
Think big!
FEAR- False Expectations Appearing Real
Help unpack nightmares

11. deliver
Teaching/sharing/training phase of student meeting: Up until this point, the student has led the conversation
How do they request accommodations and follow procedures?
What do they need to do to be successful?
Nodding vs. repeating back for understanding
Your role after the meeting
Notes- comprehensive? Shared? A formula or format for consistency?
Document what information was given that helped you decide to grant the accommodations
Follow-through with communication plan

12. Don’t settle Often the most crucial and over-looked step
Once the student is out of the office, many distractions happen
Your follow-through and communication with the student can
Identify and prevent issues from snowballing
Help facilitate crucial faculty-student conversations
Create interventions before grades are unsalvageable
Open doorways to discover different accommodations for differing situations
Promote self-advocacy and personal responsibility when the student knows someone cares and sticks with them
Remember APPRECIATIVE advising means looking for the positive, appreciating the successes, and challenging the person to reach higher goals

13. All offices, great and small
Make this process manageable for your population
Meetings and check-ins can happen in many different ways
Find an organization strategy that works
Large student data bases can be depersonalizing. What system reminds you of the students’ stories, and links to the larger storage house of information?
Take notes on what stage you left off on or need to develop more
Block mandatory time for notes and follow-through on calendars
Walk-in hours vs. structured meeting times. What is best for you may also be best for the students in the long run
Use your team
Discuss student cases and strategize together
Be the cheerleaders to encourage the “Don’t Settle” phase
Connect with campus partners to discover new ways to support and encourage students
Find out who else is using Appreciative Advising techniques and how

14. The Student success difference
Builds trust, confidence, and a team approach
Addressing issues before they escalate
Behavioral, academic, drugs/alcohol, psychological (depression and anxiety)
Students who feel connected and validated are more likely to be retained
Empowerment in college affects career and life decisions later on

15. Let’s Chat Questions Concerns Hypotheticals
Experiences using this model
YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
Thank you.

16. Resources Appreciative Advising Webpage:
Appreciative Inquiry:
Article about ADHD and Appreciative Advising: