<p><a href=“http://www.katrinadisability.info/[/url]”>http://www.katrinadisability.info/</a></p>
<p>S.O.S. - serve our students: a response to hurricane katrina </p>
<p>Hurricane Katrina is the worst disaster to hit the United States in 100 years. Not since the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 has there been such a toll in human life, and the damage to property is unfathomable.</p>
<p>A number of institutions of higher education appear to have been directly in the storm path and are likely to have suffered extensive damage. That means that thousands of students, including students with disabilities, will see their educational careers significantly disrupted – a horrific blow to folks whose lives have already been devastated by this natural disaster and its aftermath.</p>
<p>Among these students will most certainly be students with disabilities. As is their experience in living with a disability, the impact of Hurricane Katrina on their lives could be even more complicated than for their classmates. Along with everything else that has been lost, many will have lost critical documentation of their disability and past history of services – and may have no conceivable means of retrieving or recreating that documentation in the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>Institutions of higher education across the country are stepping forward to offer their help in providing a safe haven for displaced students, and a chance to resume their lives and their education as quickly as possible. As these students are absorbed into our campus communities, it is appropriate for the disability services unit to do its part in creating a welcoming atmosphere that will allow students who have already experienced so much loss to get on with their educational careers.</p>
<p>For students with disabilities who arrive on our campuses without formal documentation, it is appropriate to consider what options and alternatives we can provide that will allow them access to services and support through nontraditional mechanisms. Moreover, the successful integration of students with disabilities into host institutions will take more than a welcoming campus climate or disability services office. They will need help in orienting themselves to a new campus/community. They will need help in finding and maintaining their focus in the wake of their devastating losses. They will need the patience and understanding of those around them.</p>
<p>The membership and leaders of AHEAD have watched with growing concern over the past week as the situation in the Gulf Coast region has deteriorated. While many of us have offered both prayers and financial support to the recovery efforts, we cannot be on the spot to provide more active assistance to the thousands of people whose lives have been so significantly disrupted. We can, however, make every effort to be prepared to offer assistance to the students with disabilities who hope to move beyond this tragedy.</p>
<p>This information has been developed to provide support to disability service providers in higher education who are likely to be the first stop on the long road to educational recovery for students with disabilities displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The information and suggestions you read here have been contributed by active members of the DSS community in hopes of assisting colleagues in the task of supporting these unfortunate campus newcomers. We invite you to browse through all of the sections included with this information, whether you need them now or not, so that you will be aware of the resources available and can use them for yourself or others, as need arises.</p>
<p>The information compiled here was gathered quickly, in response to a perceived urgent need for support of both students and service providers. It is our hope that this information will be an active resource, continually growing with your contributions. If you have suggestions for content, if you have innovative ideas to offer, if you would like to add your name to those offering to share their expertise, or if you have concerns about anything presented here, please contact <a href="mailto:ahead@ahead.org">ahead@ahead.org</a></p>
<p><a href=“- AHEAD - Association on Higher Education And Disability”>http://www.ahead.org/resources/katrina/sos.htm</a></p>
<p>The above message came from the Association on Higher Education and Disability, AHEAD.</p>