Academic Integrity: Accounting for Students with Disabilities

Disability is present daily, but do we understand what disability is? Disability is a physical, mental, or developmental condition that restricts a person’s capacity to perform particular tasks or engage in certain activities.

It has different forms that approach a person, such as:

The World Health Organization has given a more detailed definition of disability where three dimensions are expressed:

  1. Impairment involves impairment of bodily or mental function, such as loss of limbs, blindness, or even temporary or permanent amnesia.
  2. Limitations of activities – who may encounter difficulties in hearing, seeing, or even problems with solving situations.
  3. Participation limitations: When people with disabilities have difficulty engaging in everyday activities such as work, socializing, or even receiving medical care due to their injuries.
WHO definition of disability
WHO definition of disability

Obstacles in education for students with disabilities

The difficulties that students with disabilities frequently face in school contribute significantly to their educational process.

While there are some advantages, difficulties are present just as well, such as:

Physical obstacles

Students with disabilities require improved support and chances during the educational process. 

These students frequently run into issues like inadequate bathrooms that are supposed to be better for them and the lack of an elevator in the school or college. 

Among other things, an institution’s heavy doors challenge them. Additionally, these students have trouble accessing transportation; thus, the college needs to provide special transportation in this situation.

The difficult conditions in the dormitories give rise to another challenge in their accommodation, another issue they experience.

Financial limitations

Another issue that seems to be problematic for students with disabilities is the finance. Most states pay students with disabilities a monthly income for their particular needs to pay their bills. 

But because the decisions made for these people depend on the budget, finance is frequently an issue for them while they pursue their education. 

The complexity of the financing arrangement, particularly for such students pursuing higher education, means that they frequently require a more considerable sum to pay their costs. 

Accommodation

Accommodation is another difficulty that frequently arises during their schooling.

Most of the time, this process is not offered at all or needs to be provided at the appropriate time. Participating in the accommodation process can be challenging, and there are often delays. 

There are instances where the unique education process appears to be a lengthy waiting list for those kinds of special programs to be offered because each college considers this situation based on the funding that is done for it. 

These students also require confidentiality, which is only sometimes upheld.

Students with disabilities in the academic integrity world

Based on Sally Scott’s article from 1997 titled “Accommodating College Students with Learning Disabilities: How Much Is Enough?”, it is believed that a balance between students’ needs and academic integrity must be established.

In this regard, two primary worries come to mind: first, how do we tackle disability and mental health in the investigation, hearing, or sanctioning process, and second, how do we make meeting spaces for students with disabilities that are accessible?

To be as accurate as possible while working with these students, American school principals collaborate with the support office for people with disabilities. 

The principals watch out for these students to prevent more harm from occurring during the listening process. A counselor from the support office typically takes part in the meetings of the hearing and investigative procedures so that the operation can be completed. 

Taking things into consideration

The sessions are held in locations that don’t frequently contribute to more mental disorders and are terminated if the students’ circumstances become overpowering or unpleasant

As a result, the student has time to continue when he is ready because the hearing committee leaves the preceding gap in these situations.

The student typically also provides written comments regarding the materials used. And each time, the student is asked if everything is okay and if anything needs to be done specifically for them. 

They always try to comfort the student during the listening process so that it does not seem embarrassing. Still, mental health does not excuse the procedure or the student’s violation of academic integrity.

The listening method always results in a circumstance that is based on the needs of students to make their work more straightforward for them, not to commit academic infractions, and for their careers to be effectively created in the educational path.

It should be evident that, while the disabilities of the student do not excuse them from violating academic integrity, failing to take into account the student’s condition is nonetheless discriminatory and unacceptable. 

Directors, professors, or qualified personnel who work with students with disabilities must be able to keep an eye on the listening process without endangering these individuals.

14% of all students in 2022 were with disabilities in the U.S
14% of all students in 2022 were with disabilities in the U.S

Support services for students with disabilities

Institutions must offer valuable tools, whether material or technological, to facilitate the participation of students with disabilities in learning and the process of inclusion in the relevant subjects

The education of such students would be made more accessible by such assistance, such as screen reading software for the blind, which allows access to the text in a listening format. 

There are integrated features for increasing the text to make it simpler for those with vision problems. 

In addition to other beneficial services, an assistant can be provided to academics so they can explain what they are saying using sign language, Braille reading materials, or listening to materials in electronic formats.

Special education for students with disabilities

Because their unique needs must be met, which can be challenging in a classroom with other students, students with disabilities tend to receive special education. 

It does not mean that a student is less capable or intelligent because he attends special courses or classes. Students with disabilities can have any physical or emotional problem, but what sets them apart is that they have a particular area where they are experts at their best.

To have effective teaching to students with disabilities, several ways help. First, we should encourage them to show their best abilities and help them develop them.

Parents should also cooperate with the teachers who tell them what their weakness is so that they can be more careful in those areas. You motivate and encourage them with more exciting methods to find a cooperative way with them. 

Teachers should be more specialized in expressing the lessons, activities, and work that the students have to do in the language of expressions or any other form that is understandable for them. Essential is the language you use with them and how you motivate them for homework.

Find tasks that the students can experiment with even in the field where they perform better, this would arouse interest for these students, and it would also be easier for the teacher to work with them.

Regulations set forth by the support office

According to Sara Silverman’s essay “Why are academic accommodations positioned as “situationally sanctioned fraud?”, she reflected on several perspectives on how the issues of students with disabilities related to academic integrity.

The regulations set forth by the support office, which provides accommodations for students with limited skills during educational procedures, conflict with the rules governing academic integrity. 

The support office recognizes the importance of upholding academic integrity standards but excludes students with disabilities. 

Compared to regular students, students with disabilities are more prone to use exam aids like calculators, which is against the principles of academic honesty. 

Based on the rules of academic integrity, students do not have the right to use such aids, but from the support office for students with disabilities, it is necessary to have this type of accommodation as aid.

To respect academic integrity and prevent its violation, a higher level of supervision is added when students with disabilities are allowed to use assistive devices.

Additionally, students with disabilities often request a virtual exam, but a camera and microphone are used to monitor them for academic honesty.

Adjustments must be made due to circumstances

Academic integrity has its own rules, but in this case, adjustments must be made due to circumstances. This complicates the relationship between intellectual integrity and supportive accommodations for students with disabilities.

The most important rule regarding academic integrity is that, even if accommodations are made for these students, they are not allowed to break the rules by using those accommodations as an excuse for their condition.

However, the Office of Support for Students with Disabilities insists that these students receive help and access.

Furthermore, running other programs simultaneously as the exam is automatically prohibited. The use of screens or even additional devices is not permitted.

Additionally, the user’s ability to influence the exam’s quality is limited, making it possible for fraud to be detected through elements like font size, color contrast, and shading.

The support office’s paperwork and accommodations give students with disabilities access to education. Still, in cases of attempted fraud, this will result in the defense against charges of fraud and violation.

The students must be evaluated to determine if they have any disabilities in this case, should the accommodation provided to them turn out to be fake, to avoid allegations that they violated academic integrity.

How do students with disabilities benefit from Crossplag?

Students with disabilities can use Crossplag to check for similarities in their papers to maintain academic integrity and not violate it.

Crossplag allows students to check their papers for similarities for free for students with disabilities.

Contact the crossplag team if you’re a student with a disability. We’ll provide you with a free account to check your work for similarity in one language and across all languages.

For our sight-challenged students, we have developed a more straightforward technique, and when you click on web content, that allows you to hear the website out loud. It is also possible to enlarge the screen for visually impaired people to read the content more easily.

There is also the option to change the text font to “Sans-Serif” style to have a simpler version. 

A button also makes the text easier to read without design. Another button that enables more straightforward reading of specific phrases by enlarging them is possible. Additionally, a virtual keyboard is available to allow mouse-only typing.

Conclusion

As stated at the beginning, disability is a physical or mental condition that prevents a person from performing specific tasks or even holding a job. Academic integrity must be maintained in all circumstances regarding the adversarial relationship between students with disabilities and him. 

However, the support office for students with disabilities provides these students an allowance and a relief that allows them to use aids throughout their educational process. While academic integrity prohibits using assistive technology during tests, it has loosened requirements for students with disabilities by allowing them to be closely monitored at all times. Checking their materials or papers for similarity and plagiarism is another way to maintain academic integrity.

Therefore, “Crossplag” allows these students to verify their materials, papers, or works for similarities to maintain academic integrity at no cost. Crossplag took this action to assist these students in a way that we can follow our capabilities to maintain the academic integrity that is fundamental in all institutions. 

We have also created a package that will make it easier for all students with disabilities—including blind or visually impaired students—when using our platform.

While maintaining academic integrity is still a struggle for these individuals, everyone can make it simpler by providing such complimentary services to students with disabilities.