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A primary mission of the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education is to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. The Disability Rights and Services Certificate provides undergraduates across the broader campus with knowledge, skills, and dispositions to contribute to the department’s mission. Students completing the certificate will become advocates for equity and inclusion of individuals with disabilities within their own major programs of study and future careers.
 
Two required courses, RP & SE 100 Disability and Society and RP & SE 300 Individuals with Disabilities, address broad themes of disability, equity, and diversity that can be applied to a variety of other disciplines and majors. The certificate also allows students to individualize the certificate by selecting six credits of elective courses from an array of options. These choice courses relate to education, health, social sciences, psychology, and sociology. In this way students can make the certificate more complementary to their major program of study.
 
This 12-credit certificate can be completed in two semesters, or even one! Many of the courses are offered online in the summer.
 
 

Students intending to complete the Disability Rights and Services Certificate will find the declaration form on the School of Education's Certificate Programs page. The declaration for this certificate program can be submitted at any time during the calendar year.

Please note, students completing a major in Rehabilitation Psychology, Special Education or Elementary Ed-Special Education are not eligible to complete this certificate.

Complete a minimum of 12 credits to include at least 6 credits in residence. Completion of the certificate requires a minimum GPA of 2.5 in certificate coursework.

Required courses, 6 credits
RP & SE 100 Disability and Society3
RP & SE 300 Individuals with Disabilities3
Specialization courses, 6 credits
RP & SE 121
 Disability and Substance Abuse
RP & SE 125
 Health and Rehabilitation Professions
RP & SE 200
 Issues in Special Education (only offered as a FIG course)
RP & SE 210
 The Disability Experience (only offered as a FIG course)
RP & SE 310
 Positive Psychology and Well Being
RP & SE 330
 Behavior Analysis: Applications to Persons with Disabilities
RP & SE 401
 Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities
RP & SE 402
 Methods in Teaching Functional Skills
RP & SE 405
 Current Topics in Special Education
RP & SE 435
 Overview of Early Childhood Special Education
RP & SE 466
 Diversity in Special Education
RP & SE 500
 Rehabilitation-Counseling Psychology: Foundations
RP & SE 505
 Biological, Psychosocial, and Vocational Aspects of Disabilities

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

  1. Identify and analyze societal barriers and supports that affect the lives of people with disabilities.
  2. Explore the societal aspects of disabilities, including the culture of disabilities, attitudes toward persons with disabilities, and quality of life issues.
  3. Evaluate current approaches, advocacy efforts, and proposed solutions for overcoming barriers experiences by people with disabilities.
  4. Use disability as a lens through which to examine broader aspects of history and culture, including power, discrimination, social stigma, social and political activism, media representations, re-appropriation, identity, intersectionality, education, work, and design.