• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
      Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
    • Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age
      Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age
    • Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation
      Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial
      The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Controversial
    • Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University
      Lucy Dacus Brings a Minimal Yet Powerful Performance to Northeastern University
    • “Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets
      “Glass Onion” Takes Shots at Easy Targets
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Rejected Snooze Articles for the Week
      Rejected Snooze Articles for the Week
    • Happy Valentine’s Day from Spog
      Happy Valentine’s Day from Spog
    • The Four Best Places to Loudly FaceTime Someone on Campus
      The Four Best Places to Loudly FaceTime Someone on Campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Jim Wise OpinionsNovember 12, 2019

Letter to the Editor: RE: We need to pay attention: Wellesley is failing its students with ADHD

Dear Wellesley News Editor:

I was disappointed at seeing the Oct. 23 opinions article regarding students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I commend the authors’ passion to promote awareness and resources for students with ADHD, but I would like to make sure that our community has the correct information so as to approach awareness raising at the point of greatest need. If I and others had been interviewed for the article, we would have shared some of the following resources and information available to students, staff and faculty.

Currently, there are 77 students who have identified themselves as having ADHD out of a total of 415 total students disclosing a disability. This is the second largest population for whom Accessibility and Disability Resources (ADR) actively provides resources. ADHD is a recognized disability and is addressed in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its amendments as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and its amendments. Each student’s needs are determined on an individualized basis through an assessment that includes meeting with the student, going over past history, reviewing evaluator and/or treater documentation and considering anything else that may be relevant to the accommodation of the student’s disability.

In ADR, we share accommodation information with faculty at the request of the student.  If there are student specific strategies to share with the faculty we do so in consultation with the student, but we do not disclose specifics or the nature of a disability unless the student requests it. We also encourage students to talk with faculty directly, and are available to assist with this conversation if students desire.

Through ADR, examples of accommodations and resources we most often provide to students with ADHD include but are not limited to:

  • an informal screening for ADHD and a referral for a neuropsych evaluation, if warranted
  • a reduced distraction environment for test taking
  • some amount of extended time for test taking, the length of which varies according to the individual student’s needs
  • consideration for extensions on assignments where ADR will help the faculty member and student determine a reasonable amount of extended time if needed and on a case-by-case basis
  • notetaking services and approved use of audio recording in class via assistive devices such as smart pens
  • ADHD specific advising on study strategies and referrals to the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center (PLTC) for further assistance on time management, study skills, test taking strategies, reading strategies, etc.

Through the Stone Center, I am aware students receive:

  • referrals for neuropsych evaluations
  • counseling that can include a focus on the student’s ADHD
  • medication, as long as a student has a neuropsych evaluation indicating ADHD
  • workshops on topics such as procrastination that address ADHD needs
  • referrals to cognitive behavioral therapists

Through the PLTC:

  • professional and peer time management advising sessions
  • numerous handouts addressing areas of executive functioning including organizational and time management skills
  • an extensive library of ADHD focused books 

Through the Class Deans:

  • ADHD appropriate advising if students disclose
  • consult with ADR, PLTC and Counseling Services to assist students with ADHD

All of the departments listed above also promote universal curriculum design when talking with faculty individually or during faculty orientations or trainings. The goal of universal curriculum design is to structure the delivery of material, expectations for classroom engagement and class assessments to maximize access to all students regardless of ability/disability, gender, race, ethnicity, age, etc. Some common universal design strategies include:

  • providing copies of class notes or PowerPoint slides prior to or after class
  • creating different types of multimedia presentations and hands-on activities for all types of learners
  • providing various opportunities to demonstrate learning, such as offering choice in assignments and using multiple types of assignments and participation in the calculation of grades
  • designing exams that could be done with extended time for everyone either in the classroom or as some form of take-home exam

Part of my disappointment with the article is that obviously the Opinions editor and contributing writer were not aware of the number of resources available to students with ADHD. My hope is that my response here provides additional information and helps to reduce stigma, encourage universal curriculum design and encourage more discussion regarding ability and disability on campus. ADHD does not mean the student cannot do something, but instead may thrive by doing things a different way.

Sincerely,

Jim Wice

Director of Accessibility and Disability Resources

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleReformation’s Performance of Activism
Next articleClarifying the Wellesley College residential life compensation policy

You may also like

Logos of social media apps such as Twitter, Tiktok, Netflix, Spotify, and Discord.

Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity

Abstract painting of various boxes meant to imply computer and phone screens

Turn it off: healing from news fatigue in the digital age

A collection of a wide variety of foods in the colors of the rainbow

Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Logos of social media apps such as Twitter, Tiktok, Netflix, Spotify, and Discord. Andrew tate: ending the cycle of toxic masculinity
  • Stone-Davis dining staff report mistreatment
  • The 95th Academy Awards Nominations: The Cool and The Contro...
  • A collection of a wide variety of foods in the colors of the rainbow Let them eat bread: the unequal effects of food price inflat...
  • Red envelope that contains money to celebrate the Lunar New Year. America’s cultural appropriation is a modern form of i...

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top