For purposes of administering services and accommodations to students with disabilities, the Dean of Students Office and Suffolk University categorizes disabilities into five areas: learning, physical, medical, psychiatric, and ADHD. Please keep in mind that these descriptions are not intended to be all-encompassing or universal but rather to provide consistency and continuity in the delivery of services. Descriptions of disabilities are as follows:

Learning Disability A learning disability is a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations. The term includes, but is not limited to, conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include students who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, mental retardation, emotional disturbance or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantages.

For more information on Learning Disabilities, go to http://www.ldonline.org/

Physical Disability A physical disability is any physiological disorder or condition, anatomical loss or cosmetic disfigurement affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, respiratory (including speech organs), special sense organs, cardiovascular, digestive, genitor-urinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin and endocrine. Physical disabilities can arise from early disorders of the nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems, such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Others, who have become disabled later in life, may have experienced brain or spinal injury, usually as a result of an accident or warfare.

People with physical disabilities are unable to exercise proper control over movement. These people can find gross and/or fine motor movements difficult. Some may have unwanted or uncontrolled movements and others may experience a decreased range and strength of movement. There is a wide range of conditions that may limit mobility and/or hand functions.

For more information on Physical Disabilities, go to http://www.ncd.gov/

Medical Disability The range of disabilities in this category is large and includes chronic health impairments, such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancers, AIDS, hemophilia, epilepsy, and hepatitis, among others. These illnesses can affect cognitive (e.g., concentration, memory) and motor (e.g., mobility) functions and may have acute phases requiring bed rest or hospitalization. Functional abilities and limitations vary widely and these conditions are often associated with fatigue. There may be periods of remission in which the student seems to have no impairment of function.

For more information on Medical Disabilities, go to http://www.disabilityresources.org/SPECIFIC.html

Psychiatric Disability Mental illness is a term that describes a broad range of mental and emotional conditions. Mental illness also refers to one portion of the broader ADA term mental impairment, and is different from other covered mental impairments such as mental retardation, organic brain damage, or learning disabilities. The term psychiatric disability is used when mental illness significantly interferes with the performance of major life activities such as learning, thinking, and communicating, among others. The most common forms of mental illnesses are anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and schizophrenia.

Although the symptoms of mental illness can often be controlled effectively through medication and/or psychotherapy, or may even go into remission, for some people the illness continues to cause periodic episodes that require treatment. The type, intensity, and duration of symptoms vary from person to person.

For more information on Psychiatric Disabilities, go to http://www.nmha.org/

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) A diagnosis of ADHD is based on the number, persistence, and history of ADHD behaviors, and the degree to which they impede a person’s performance in more than one setting. They may have a pattern of being hyperactive and impulsive far more than others of their age. Or they may show all three types of behavior. This means that there are three subtypes of ADHD recognized by professionals. These are the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (that does not show significant inattention); the predominantly inattentive type (that does not show significant hyperactive-impulsive behavior); and the combined type (that displays both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms).
The Difference Between ADHD and ADD
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the term used in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) diagnostic criteria. ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) with or without hyperactivity is the older term from the DSM-IIIR.

For more information on AD/HD, go to http://www.adhd.com/