Different things come to mind at the mention of the word “disability” – wheelchairs, canes, people using sign language.

These images correspond to a mere fraction of all disabilities. In fact, a large portion of the 600-plus students who use accommodations at Iowa State have “invisible disabilities,” said John Hirschman, coordinator of Disability Resources.

Learning disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and psychiatric disabilities are some of the visually hidden impairments that are common among ISU students with disabilities, he said.

Disability Awareness Week is now under way, and Disability Resources hopes in particular to challenge simplistic ideas many students and faculty may have on the subject.

An open house will take place Tuesday at Disability Resources in the Student Services building followed by a discussion, “Disability Resources at ISU: How Far We’ve Come.”

The goals of the events are to help the general public grow in understanding and to inform students about services available to them, said Kathryn Overberg, associate counsel for university counsel, who will be leading the discussion.

One focus of the discussion will be the legal and historical issues associated with disabilities, she said, especially those associated with disabilities and education.

“Not everybody understands where [disability] rights come from,” Overberg said.

Also, things such as Iowa State’s graduation rate for students with disabilities will be discussed.

“Hopefully we’ll generate some discussion about what we need to do to move forward to improve some of these figures,” she said.

The number of students currently using accommodation through Disability Resources has grown significantly over the years – approximately 600 today in contrast with approximately 50 in 1989. Hirschman said the numbers have a lot to do with the public’s awareness and acceptability of people with disabilities.

Before a student can obtain accommodation, he or she must provide current documentation.

It can take a significant amount of work to nail down a student’s actual needs, especially if the student doesn’t have documentation yet. In that case, Disability Resources employees like Hirschman will suggest people who can diagnose the student.

“Not all health conditions are disabilities,” Hirschman said.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was created in 1990, a disability is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”

A “major life activity” can range from eating, sleeping or walking to something as broad as learning, Hirschman said.

That last category, learning, is where Disability Resources comes in for a lot of students.

All students – those with disabilities and those without – are required to undergo the same admission process.

“They have to meet the standard criteria just like anybody else,” Hirschman said.

After those criteria are met, a student will meet with someone like Hirschman and go over his or her medical information and then each accommodation is determined on a class-by-class basis each semester.

Disabilities Resources works closely with instructors in this process, facilitating communication between them and students.

Because of the variety of students with disabilities, there is no single program available that provides accommodation. Each student, class and instructor is unique.

This whole process is largely in the hands of students. Although professors might suggest contacting Disabilities Resources, it is the students who “self-disclose.”

There are students with disabilities who never do self-disclose, however. Hirshman said they may feel as if they want to make it on their own.

Erin Haakenson, junior in sociology and president of the Alliance for Disability Awareness, has accommodations for her classes but also appreciates Disabilities Resources’ emphasis on personal responsibility, she said.

“You cannot go through life using [a disability] as an excuse,” Haakenson said. “But you shouldn’t let people look down on you if you need help with something.”