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Millennials and the ADA:  New Issues in Higher Education

Abstract

The legal response to resolving issues applicable to students with disabilities in higher education has not changed substantially in recent years.  The enrollment of “millennials” (students who have grown up with technology and the culture that affects their generation), however, has brought new challenges to universities.  Students who want their companion ferrets to accompany them to exams and students who expect instance responses to their 3 am emails or cell phone calls requesting unlimited time on exams present interesting new challenges.  Combining these behaviors with disability discrimination issues makes life even more interesting.   Knowing the legal requirements is only the beginning of developing a proactive approach to serving this generation of students.  The session will use a set of hypothetical scenarios to illustrate the current legal framework for examining these issues.  The session will include a discussion of policies, practices, and procedures that might help to address current situations occurring on campus.

The webcast will include:

1. Review of the general legal requirements applicable to students with disabilities in higher education after the passage of the ADA Amendments Act (ADA).
2. Explanation of how this generation of students (“millennials”) might present new challenges in the context of disability discrimination law.
3. Update of case law and agency interpretation of recent issues involving students with disabilities.
4. Practical suggestions for both students and their parents and institutions of higher education in anticipating issues in light of millennial students and a framework for policies, practices, and procedures to address these issues.