1. Intersection of Mental Health and Disability
Lauren Rodriguez, Psy.D., Purchase College
Jean Vizvary, MS, Ed., Suny New Paltz
Don Pool, LMSW, Jamestown Community College

2. Things that are not a disability
Here are a few things you may have heard that are not disability related
I have “test anxiety” and need…
I need more time on my assignment because I couldn’t get it done; I was depressed
I need my emotional support hamster in class with me so I can get through the day
I have ADHD, so I can’t get to class on time
I know you said the assignment had to be typed and turned in through SafeAssign, but I am Bipolar, so I just hand wrote it

3. Common Mental Health Functional Limitations
Difficulty with medication side effects: drowsiness, fatigue, dry mouth and thirst, blurred vision, hand tremors, slowed response time, and difficulty initiating interpersonal contact.
Sustaining concentration: restlessness, shortened attention span, distraction, and difficulty understanding or remembering verbal directions.
Screening out environmental stimuli: inability to block out sounds, sights, or odors that interfere with focusing on tasks. Limited ability to tolerate noise and crowds.
Maintaining stamina: difficulty sustaining enough energy to spend a whole day on campus attending classes; combating drowsiness due to medications.
Interacting with others: difficulty getting along, fitting in, contributing to group work, and reading social cues.
Increased stress during testing: emotionally and physically
Souma, Rickerson, & Burgstahler (2012)

4. The Interactive Process
Important in all cases, but especially with Mental Health Disabilities
Discussion is less about the diagnosis and more about the BARRIERS
Listen to the student’s story. Based on conversation, determine:
Why has the student contacted the office in the first place?
What barriers to access has the student described?
What is the student requesting?
Initial professional observations
Does a disability-related barrier exist?
Is there a clear connection between the barrier and the student’s condition?
Is anything not adding up? Recognize gaps in your understanding of the situation.
Meyer, A. (2012)
Discuss students may not have had accommodations in k-12 setting, may have been diagnosed after high school and not familiar with accommodation process

5. The Interactive Process 2
Any known environmental barriers, considerations, or fundamental components in play?
What is the role of the environment in creating and/or maintaining the barrier?
Is it immediately obvious that accommodations could create access based on the information provided?
Is the requested accommodation clearly related to the student’s disability but possibly inappropriate in the context?
Consider what might warrant additional consultation with others on campus.
Any gaps between what the student requests, details in the environment, and what you believe would create access?
Put the story, initial observations, and environmental variables together.
Based on all the information gathered, determine where reasonable accommodations can clearly create access.
Does the student specifically seek something that does not make sense to you based on the information gathered?
Use documentation to fill in gaps in understanding.
Identify the appropriate path of action
Meyer, A. (2012)
Eg. request for note-card on exams that primarily measure recall?

6. Same Diagnosis, Different Barriers
PTSD Example
Student #1
Panic attacks during tests - needs quiet location
Needs to sit by the door in class (preferential seating)
Needs note taking assistance (recording) on stressful days because of dissociation
Needs attendance flexibility rarely when triggered
Student #2
No additional stress during tests
Panic attacks when left alone with professors (needs someone familiar in the room when testing)
Keeps up with notes and classroom work
Needs to avoid certain clinical settings during field work

7. Anxiety and Housing
Request for single rooms as an accommodation for equal access (room without a roommate)
Diagnosis of anxiety disorder is a diagnosis of an impairment
Impairment is a disability only if it substantially limits a major life activity
Documentation and student self-report should clarify the severity and duration of the anxiety impact
Engage in the interactive process
Why is a single room necessary for a student who will attend classes, and interact regularly with other students?
Has the student ever had a roommate before (home, summer camp, school)?
If never shared a room, why the certainty that living without one is necessary?
If living with someone before was difficult, what caused the difficulty?
Specific to the roommate, or something more than adjusting to difficult personalities?
Masinter, M.R. (June 2019)

8. Anxiety and Housing 2
Interactive process allows to sift through accommodation requests and make informed professional judgements.
Anxiety is a universal emotion, and each student is different, therefore some requests may be denied, while others will be well-supported.
Recent OCR rulings did not produce any findings of wrongdoing by schools in denying single-room requests.
OCR will, however, cite schools for lack of any procedure to handle requests.
Create and follow a good process!
Masinter, M.R. (June 2019)

9. Questions? Trends on your Campus?
LR: Can discuss two recent examples for requests for single rooms and the importance of the interactive process, if no one has questions/comments

10. References
Masinter, M.R. (June 2019). Single-room housing accommodations in the age of anxiety. Disability Compliance for Higher Education, Volume 24 (Issue 11), 1-3.
Meyer, A. (2012). Disability resource professional’s guide to exploring and determining access. Standing Committee on Professional Development, Association on Higher Education and Disability.
Souma, A., Rickerson, N. & Burgstahler, S. (2012). Academic accommodations for students with psychiatric disabilities. Retrieved from