I've been working with students with disabilities, some with moderate to severe disabilities, for over 20 years. And, I cannot count the number of times that someone has assumed that a student cannot do something because their disability specifically limits them in that area, and then the student goes on to do it successfully. We have so many resources available to us at this point, and there are certainly many specialists who focus on dyscalculia.

I wasn't saying they would cause similar issues. Part of the reason that it has become easier for students with visual impairments to succeed in a variety of areas is due to the numerous advances in technology. There are similar advances in technology that help students with both dyslexia and dyscalculia. Saying that a person with dyscalculia cannot become successful in mathematics is simillar to saying that a person with dyslexia cannot become successful in reading. We know that isn't true.

In terms of student abilities, given what I've seen students be able to accomplish, I wouldn't doubt that a student with dyscalculia could obtain a mathematics degree. There is so much technology that we have access to today. For example, there are blind and visually impaired students who major in subjects like math and physics, even though they cannot see the numbers.

Yes, they would cause different problems, and some students have both dyslexia and dyscalculia. Either way, unless the student chooses to disclose the specifics of their disability to the instructor, the instructor would simply see the accommodations provided to the students and not the diagnosis. But, when the clinician making the diagnosis provides documentation to the disability services office, it should provide specific recommendations for accommodations, especially if the student has used accommodations in the past.

Daniel, accommodations in higher education are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. No, IDEA does not apply but the ADA and Section 504 do. Universal Design is not the only way that accommodations are handled. There are certainly other alternative assessment methods that happen at the post-secondary level. That is why I referred him to AHEAD. Depending on the size of the campus you are at and the number of students with disabilities being served, there may be other schools that have much more experience in this area.