To aid students who may need additional help outside of the classroom, we have several fantastic programs on the UH Manoa campus. Instructors should be aware of KOKUA and the Counseling & Student Development Center (CSDC).
As this project is intended to aid all instructors with little or no experience with teaching to students with disabilities or Universal Design for Learning, it is helpful to know that according to the University of Hawaiʻi System Institutional Research Office, there were 20,426 students enrolled for the 2012 school year, with 14,279 being undergraduate students. According to the UH KOKUA Program, the UH office for students with disabilities, roughly 1,000 current students are registered with KOKUA, either actively working with KOKUA or no longer requiring services. Those enrolled at KOKUA have a diverse range of disabilities, from severe physical impairments to “invisible” learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
At KOKUA, a rule of thumb is that for every one student enrolled in the program, there are one to two more students who are either undiagnosed or do not want, for any number of reasons, KOKUA services. With a target class size of 20 students in many courses at UH, an instructor can expect to have one to three students with disabilities in any given course, with the majority being undiagnosed and/or unregistered with KOKUA.
KOKUA provides disability access services to individuals on a case by case basis, and students are not charged for these services. A student's disability status is considered confidential information and is only disclosed to faculty with the student's permission. KOKUA serves undergraduate, graduate and professional students with learning, physical, psychiatric and other documented disabilities. Services include:
· Exam accommodations
· Note taking
· Priority registration
· Mobility assistance
· Many, many more
All services are free and a student’s disability status is kept confidential.
The Counseling & Student Development Center Provides personal, academic and career counseling and psychological services free of charge. The intention of its services is to aid students in academic and personal development, and to address a variety of issues, including those related to stress, self-esteem and identity, relationships and isolation, depression, anxiety, drugs and alcohol, and recovery from abuse. CSDC services include: