Abstract

With increasing numbers of students with invisible disabilities attending college and university, faculty and staff find themselves faced with new challenges. This practical handbook provides lecturers, tutors, disability services, and administrative staff with an overview of the invisible disabilities they may encounter, dispelling common myths and offering practical advice to support the needs of these students.

Students with invisible disabilities are often academically talented but struggle with certain aspects of higher education such as keeping track of appointments or maintaining concentration in lecture halls. By providing detailed information on a range of disabilities including autism, AD/HD, dyslexia, OCD, and affective disorders, this book facilitates a better understanding of the unique needs of these students and what their strengths and limitations may be. With ideas for adapting teaching methods, offering suitable accommodations, and improving institutional policy, this is vital reading for all university faculty and staff.

In this book, Dr. Christy Oslund uses academic research, pedagogical experience, and common sense to help faculty, administrators, and staff in academic settings navigate one of the most prevalent issues in higher education today: understanding and accommodating invisible disabilities. Employing a gentle humor immediately relatable to other educators, Oslund provides practical information on how these invisible disabilities affect students, parents, and colleagues while providing actionable ideas for making campuses better environments for everyone.
Casey J Rudkin, PhD, Department of Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process, Western Connecticut State University
This book is an invaluable guide for understanding and including students with disabilities in post-secondary institutions. The descriptive information about developmental and emotional issues truly enables the reader to identify with someone struggling with a particular issue, while simultaneously learning scientific and practical applications. The author convincingly identifies the social imperative to improve the way we include students with learning and emotional challenges, and offers provocative ideas for institutional changes that feel doable and make sense.
Sarita Freedman, PhD, Licensed Psychologist and author of Developing College Skills in Students with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
This book should be required reading for all higher education instructors. In thoughtful yet practical terms, Dr. Oslund illustrates how to recognize and respond to diverse learners, which is an ethical and moral necessity too often neglected during new teacher orientations and the competing demands of ongoing professional life.
Dr. Moe Folk, Assistant Professor of English, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Supporting College and University Students with Invisible Disabilities provides clear and focused explanations of important concepts in the field of disability. This is information that all administrators and faculty should know when working with students with invisible disabilities. The chapters provide necessary legal explanations, address the myths around invisible disability, and provide useful guides and strategies to help administrators and faculty work with students. As an administrator and faculty member, I found this text invaluable. I highly recommend it.
K. Alex Ilyasova, Director of the Professional and Technical Writing program in the English Department at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Christy Oslund is Co-ordinator of Student Disability Services in the Dean of the Students' Office at Michigan Technological University. She has a PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University and an MA in Philosophy from Michigan State University. She is an active member of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). She is the author of Succeeding as a Student in the STEM Fields with an Invisible Disability also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.