According to a report from the Department of Veteran's Affairs there has been substantial growth in the number of veterans with service connected disabilities in recent years. Military.com reports that "40% of post 9/11 veterans have a disability rating and nearly half of those veterans have disability ratings of 60% or higher." This growth, seen in the most recent era of veteran populations (post 9/11 veterans), is not only in the number of veterans with service-connected disabilities. We are also seeing growth in the numbers of veterans with higher disability ratings, meaning more substantial injuries such as traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress, and other combat injuries that impact veterans' daily lives. For those working in higher education, this growth in not only the number of veterans with disabilities but in the severity of those disabilities means that the student veterans in your classrooms could both need and qualify for student disability services. However, few instructors know of all the assistance available to student veterans.

This challenge presents an opportunity for instructors, who are on the front line with students, to help connect student veterans with the resources that could help empower and prepare them to be more successful in higher education. Administrators also have the opportunity to educate and motivate faculty on how to best reach these students who may be at-risk.

How can higher education faculty support student veterans with disabilities? Most faculty, if not all, include an addendum to their course syllabus describing student disability services. However, as a faculty member at two institutions of higher education, I have found few students read the entirety of a syllabus and, even if they do, they may not understand what student disability services are or how to qualify. What has worked best for me in my courses is to start by educating ALL of my students, veterans and civilians, about the student disability services office and the accommodations available.

Educating the entire class versus singling out individual students has also helped confront any stigmas or misconceptions that exist around accommodations. I make a point to use military specific examples of illness/injury such as post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury as examples of types of illness/injuries that may qualify for accommodations. As a follow up to the discussion, I use sticky notes for students to ask questions that they may not want to ask in front of the class and collect them while students are on a break. This anonymous form of feedback helps students, who may not able to ask for what they need in front of their peers, get answers they need. I also invite students to email me if they are not comfortable with the sticky notes. Another option I use, when available, is to invite a representative from student disability services to the class for a Q&A session. While I may 'lose' some instructional time, this time invested in ensuring my students, and especially student veterans don't 'fall through the cracks' by not getting the help they need, is well worth it.

What should higher education faculty avoid doing when discussing accommodations with student veterans? As a caregiver, and spouse of a disabled veteran, I have often seen civilians have a natural curiosity about veterans' experiences in the military, especially their experiences in combat. While this curiosity is natural, I encourage faculty to avoid asking these kinds of details or personal questions unless the student volunteers the information to you themselves. For veterans like my husband, and others who experienced combat or trauma during their service, rehashing the details of what happened can be traumatizing. If a student does wish to share the details of their service please afford them the time to do so. Feeling as if they are in a safe place to share will go a long way in establishing the trust necessary for them to ask you for help.

My experience as a spouse and caregiver of a 100% permanent and totally disabled veteran and navigating higher education.
My husband is a proud OEF/OIF veteran who is rated by the VA as 100% disabled. After his injuries ended his military career, and impacted my own career, we both turned to higher education seeking new opportunities that would fit our family and our new circumstances. Although my husband is bright and had done well in high school and military community college courses, once he transitioned to a civilian university we encountered many challenges we had not anticipated.

He felt out of place, isolated, and disengaged in classrooms surrounded by in his words "18-year-olds" that he felt had "no life experiences" and "couldn't understand him." His instructors, while well intentioned, sought to engage him by being overly inquisitive, wanting to know the details of his service and injuries. The courses lacked little, if any, team assignments or encouragement for camaraderie among the students to problem solve. This environment left him feeling disenchanted and made him dread going to classes.

He didn't know what help was available and wouldn't ask for help when he needed it because he didn't feel he was in a supportive environment. We had no idea he could qualify for student disability services and get the accommodations he sorely needed until he had painstakingly completed his bachelor's degree and began graduate school. We learned that he may qualify for accommodations, not from the university but, from a fellow veteran. The difference in his enjoyment and success as a graduate student, once he began getting the supports in class he needed, was nothing short of remarkable. I lament now, especially as an instructor myself in higher ed, at the number of courses he struggled through meaninglessly.

Why? Spending the time to educate your student veterans about the accommodations available to them and not relying on just the syllabus to do so, is worthwhile especially given the growth in the numbers of veterans with disabilities. Offering multiple avenues to ask questions, without exposing their full story or trauma to a classroom of civilians, helps ease the transition from the military to academia and helps establish your classroom as a safe place. The time investment in establishing your classroom as inclusive is vital to reaching the veterans, like my husband, who may be silently suffering through your class trying to learn and heal at the same time.

Article Topics

Military Friendly Institutions Research on Student Veterans Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Workplace Inclusion

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