Disabled UH students on the rise

By April Randolph

The number of students with disabilities at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has been increasing at a rapid rate.  The reason for this is a combination of things, including better testing and diagnosis.  According to Ann Ito, the director of the KOKUA Program, an estimated 10 percent of UHM students have some kind of disability.

The KOKUA Program, the UHM office for students with disabilities, remains extremely busy because of this increase.  Having only seven full-time staff members, the program could not operate without the help of 100 student employees. 

With the start of the fall semester, August brings the busiest four weeks of the year.  “New students are coming in that are very much in need of information and support,” said Ito.

Currently, KOKUA assists close to 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students.  With this growing population, it is important for the rest of the campus community to become involved.  Individuals can educate themselves on ways to best give and receive support, as well as fully include students with disabilities. 

How to gain information

This can be done by stopping by the KOKUA office for more information, going to the website at your own convenience or inviting a KOKUA employee to speak at your next staff meeting.  “I would like a campus climate where people are respected despite difference and acknowledge that different is just different, it’s not better and it’s not worse.  People with disabilities are first and foremost people,” said Ito.

The KOKUA Program open house held on Sept. 12 was another easy way to receive a wealth of information. The public were welcome to attend this free event to get a chance to meet the staff and some of the students, as well as take a tour of the facility.  “It was the chance to show all of the different programs and tools they have available for each disability,” said Donna Souza, a UHM student who has a disability.

Misconceptions

According to the KOKUA website, the majority of students with disabilities at UHM are not visibly disabled.  They are not always in a wheelchair or are blind with a cane or guide dog.  The vast majority of students have invisible disabilities that are not apparent by looking at them. 

Some invisible disabilities include health, learning, speech and psychiatric disabilities, low vision, restricted hearing, autism, attention deficit disorder and brain injuries.  “The average person may not recognize that people have disabilities, but they do and they are real, valid and can be very restricting,” said Ito.

Another misconception about students with disabilities is that they are not as smart as others, which is completely false.  KOKUA assists Regent, Presidential and Chancellor Scholars, who are some of the smartest students on campus. 

Ito explained that any student at UHM with a disability is just as qualified as any student without a disability because there is no special admission process for them.  In fact, it is illegal for the admissions office to ask an applicant if they are disabled.

The place of growing

KOKUA (kahi o ka ulu ‘ana), which means“the place of growing”, is a wonderful resource for the UHM campus.  The program has helped thousands of students with disabilities to succeed in school and have the confidence they need to succeed outside of school. 

KOKUA’s first and most important task is to help the students. However, it can benefit everyone. 

“It really embodies the spirit of this place and enables all of us to grow,” said Ito.