Acquired brain injury refers to any type of brain damage that occurs after birth, generally involving massive jolts or direct or indirect blows to the head with ensuing damage to brain cells and consequent impairment of the normal functioning of the brain. Other causes include brain tumours, strokes, aneurisms, infectious diseases, lack of oxygen, and alcohol or drug abuse.

Over and above the physical injuries, the ensuing cognitive, psycho-affective and behavioural impairments are likely to suppress even the most persistent efforts to reintegrate into social, family or student life.

This type of trauma can severely impair higher mental functions (memory, reasoning, speech) and in turn, result in erratic behavioural patterns (impatience, self-depreciation, withdrawal) and reduced cognitive functioning (difficulty with abstract thinking, learning, organization or concentration).

It is common for students with ABI to experience increased fatigue (mental and physical) and a decrease in the speed with which they process information, plan and solve problems. Frequently, students with ABI tends to have a poor tolerance for frustration, can be impulsive and quick to overreact and show persistent lack of judgment. Poor co-ordination, nausea and headaches, dizziness and loss of balance are other symptoms characteristic of this condition.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> Better Health Channel, Gov. of Victoria, Australia
>> Ontario Brain Injury Association

Attention-Deficit Disorder - With or Without Hyperactivity (ADD/H) is a chronic medical condition that first makes its appearance in childhood. It persists through adolescence and more often than not, right through into adulthood. When not treated, this condition is likely to engender learning disabilities and lower levels of schooling; a sea of troubles in the social, family and educational milieu; and later on, an unstable employment history and a greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse, and criminality. Persistent distractibility, impulsivity and disorganization are typical traits in adult students with ADD/H.

Students with ADD/H have major difficulties being attentive, getting started on tasks, organizing, following planned activities and ignoring distractions around them. They are often late and sometimes completely forget appointments (and deadlines) and their lack of attention to details causes them to rush through work and fail to revise errors.

These students will continually fall prey to numerous and negligent mistakes, which good will and great effort never seem to remedy. As a result, they may experience severe difficulties in some subjects (math, grammar, reading and writing, for example). Students with ADD/H also tend to be more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. An unwillingness to do as told 'they must always do things their way' is quite typical.

The number and severity of symptoms will vary from one student to another. Some will experience symptoms continually, while others experience symptoms only under certain conditions. It is important to understand that ADD/H itself does not affect the learning process as does a learning disability, but a learning disability is often coexistent with ADD/H.

Many take the stimulant Ritalin (Concerta or Strattera) considered by many medical specialists to be a safe and effective way of managing these disorders. Such medication allows the student to focus for longer periods of time and reduce impulsivity and hyperactivity, but can have serious side effects, e.g. seriously affecting appetite and sleep patterns.

Many students with ADD/H have been wildly ingenious in developing compensatory skills, but these strategies often require inordinate amounts of physical, mental and emotional energy. The resulting frustration and fatigue can in themselves be debilitating.

This syndrome also has an amazing flip side. People with ADD/H are often very intuitive, creative and inspired; they make associations no one else would make and their ideas can be absolutely brilliant.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> The Hallowell Center
>> Attention Deficit Disorder Association: Adult ADD Resources, Help, Info & Support

Part of the major group known as "invisible disabilities", chronic medical conditions generally stem from a dysfunction in the internal organs of the cardiovascular, digestive or endocrine systems. They can include (but are not limited to) acquired immune deficiencies syndromes, allergies, Asperger’s or Tourette syndrome, asthma, cancer, cerebral palsy, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headaches, muscular dystrophy and sleep disorders.

Students with chronic health problems may suffer from persistent pain and fatigue. These symptoms in turn can severely limit their ability to cope with daily life, an ability that can be severely taxed in a university setting.

Medical conditions often require heavy medication with side effects ranging from dizziness, nausea, and lack of concentration to mobility, vision and hearing problems. Absenteeism may also be an issue.

It is important to keep in mind that students with chronic health problems continuously worry about their forced absenteeism and social isolation due to recurring medical appointments and treatments, or the effects of heavy medication. These students easily feel marginalized by their peers. With effective self-management strategies and unyielding industriousness and perseverance, these students can become very creative in developing compensatory strategies that reinforce their self-efficacy in achieving success at university.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> Ministry of Education, Government of British Columbia
>> Stanford School of Medicine

Hearing impairments and deafness are defined by the extent of loss of functional hearing and by dependence on visual communication. Some people that are "deaf", "hard of hearing" or "hearing impaired" can read lips while others rely on sign language to communicate. Other people will rely on gestures, writing or interpreters. For a great majority, it is normal to make use of a variety of hearing devices to amplify sound. Keep in mind that a hearing aid assists in compensating for hearing loss but does not replace normal hearing.

Students who are deaf since birth or deafened at an early age may have speech impairments that make them difficult to understand. Hearing loss or deafness does not affect a student’s intellectual capacity or ability to learn.

Generally, students with a hearing impairment face significant obstacles in an academic setting, because much of the information exchanged is conveyed orally. Everyday life also presents many challenges as communication, learning, orientation and mobility can be quite difficult. Good work habits and special learning strategies combined with new technology do lead to great achievements.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> The Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
>> Information on About.com

There appears to be consensus around the following definition:

Learning disabilities is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical skills. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, are presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span. Problems in self-regulatory behaviors, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not, by themselves, constitute a learning disability. Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other disabilities (e.g., sensory impairment, mental retardation, serious emotional disturbance), or with extrinsic influences (such as cultural differences, insufficient or inappropriate instruction), they are not the result of those conditions or influences (NJCLD, 1990). (as defined by, www.ldonline.org/njcld/operationalizing.pdf)

The term "learning disability" (LD) was first used in 1963 by a group of Chicago psychologists under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Kirk and referred to specific inadequacies in the processing of information that create obstacles in or slow the development of the following areas:

attention, memory, reasoning, coordination, communication, reading, writing,
spelling, arithmetic, social skills, emotional maturity

His definition clearly did not imply inferior intelligence but referred to any or all of these processing difficulties.

Since little time and effort were devoted to identifying learning disabilities and appropriate treatment prior to 1970, many adults today have struggled through life with undiagnosed LD.

Many have developed phenomenal compensatory strategies that have allowed them to perform to the best of their abilities. Some have been most clever in the way they conceal their disability but they live in constant fear of being 'exposed'. Others have not managed to adapt at all and go through life feeling like 'total failures', like they are 'good for nothing', or that they are 'downright stupid'.

Learning disabilities are caused by genetic, congenital and/or acquired neurobiological factors. The impairments are generally life-long, and affect all aspects of life. However, their effects may be expressed differently over time, depending on the match between the demands of the environment and the individual's characteristics.

It is estimated that some 10% of the general student population has some form of learning disability.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> The Council for Exceptional Children
>> The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada

The range of physical conditions generating motor and/or mobility problems is broad, from limited manual dexterity to paralysis. Illness, injury or birth trauma may be the cause. Paraplegia or quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, hemiplegia, loss or major functional impairment of a limb, and muscular dystrophy are among the many conditions that entail severe functional limitations. Other forms of physical impairment like polio (acquired impairment), cerebral palsy (damage to brain tissues during fetal development) and certain genetic conditions can bring about mobility impairments. The inherent functional limitations of certain conditions can be "invisible" (i.e. reduced manual dexterity) while others that are more severely debilitating do not go unnoticed, as in the case of students who need to use wheelchairs, crutches or canes. The needs of physically- or mobility-impaired students are broad. While some may need no more than readily accessible buildings (e.g. residence, classrooms and labs), others may require ongoing academic and physical adaptive measures.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities, Gov. of Ontario
>> Computers & People with Mobility Impairments, University of Washington

Note: The University of Ottawa has established an Accessibility Committee whose mandate is to make recommendations on specific measures to improve physical accessibility on campus. Click Here for the most recent Annual Report.

Psychological or psychiatric conditions are complex and multifaceted, and can be chronic or short-term in duration, moderate or severe in nature. They cover a broad spectrum and describe (but are not limited to) those with severe anxiety, bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), clinical depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), neurosis, schizophrenia, alcohol or drug addiction, suicidal tendencies, eating disorders, personality disorders or phobias.

Most psychological disorders (notably schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) are diagnosed in the late teens or early twenties. As the diagnosis is so late in life, students who have not had sufficient time to accept or truly understand their illness may be quite unwilling or unable to discuss their situation. Moreover, they must often fight against people’s offensive attitudes and behaviour nurtured on prejudice and myths, e.g. that schizophrenics are prone to violence.

Encouraging comments and positive reinforcements are powerful contributors to restoring self-esteem and self-confidence, which are directly and immediately taxed when the condition flares up.

Since psychological or psychiatric conditions may severely limit a student’s ability to cope with the daily activities of university life, it is crucial to find ways to provide these students with the best learning conditions and with a true chance to be successful.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> Canadian Mental Health Association
>> Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Gov. of Canada

A visual impairment is the consequence of a functional loss of vision due to lesions or opacification of the visual system. Functional limitations cover a wide range of conditions from low vision to blindness.

The effect of visual loss on development and learning depends on the severity and type of loss, as well as the age and overall functioning level of the person at the time the condition appears. Students with "low vision" differ greatly in what they are able to see. Some are able to read the blackboard or a textbook with magnifying equipment, while others can only discern colours or shapes.

Although most sighted people associate Braille with visual impairment/blindness, not all visually impaired students are proficient in Braille. In fact, most use alternatives or adaptive equipment such as books on tape, scanners or screen-reading computer systems (Kurzweil) and speech-to-text software (Dragon Naturally Speaking or DNS).

Assessment of the most suitable adaptive measures to be put in place is based first and foremost on the severity of the visual impairment. Adaptive measures can include (but are not limited to):

preferred seating in the classroom or lab, transcription into Braille, optic readers, digital recorders, computerized screen readers, experienced readers and note-takers

If you are uncertain about how much sight the student may have, or how much assistance is required for a specific task, simply ask the student.

Guide Dogs

Some visually impaired students have guide dogs to assist them through their daily activities. Guide dogs are selected for their intelligence and placid nature and are highly trained. In the classroom, they will usually lie quietly at their owner's feet. It may be helpful, at the student's request or permission, to make an announcement early on in the semester to inform the class that the guide dog is a working dog, not a pet, and should not be petted or distracted when it is in harness. It should also be noted that it is illegal to deny a guide dog entrance into any public place or facility, e.g., a classroom, library, or store.

For further information, consult the following websites:
>> National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
>> Canadian National Institute for the Blind