Veteran services and resource centers can serve as an important point of contact for referrals. Being able to connect student veterans to these services can be pivotal to their academic success. Student disability services can provide education and support on how to work with students with disabilities as well as how to make your curriculum and classroom more accessible for all students. Take the time to learn about military culture and the veteran transition experience, as you would about any other special student population.
Utilize the other professionals on campus to provide holistic support for your student veterans – it could save a life.
Points to Consider
- Building partnerships between faculty, disability services and veteran services is a way to provide holistic support to students on campus.
- Utilize the staff in veteran’s services and disability services to help foster success of students in the classroom.
- Knowing a staff member by first name and being able to refer or directly provide a warm hand-off of a student in need of either service can make the difference in the student seeking and utilizing the service as well as impacting their academic success.
- Inviting support staff such as veteran’s services and disability services for short speeches at the beginning of class allows the connections to be made directly and shows the students that you are a supporter of their success beyond the classroom.
- Showing the initiative that you are a partner of services can help encourage students to speak with you about needing services or supports for their personal and academic success.
Online Considerations
- Collaborate with your campus veteran services and/or veterans resource center and disability services to support student veterans and yourself
- Utilize campus disability services or your 504/ADA Coordinator to adhere to ADA compliance for online learning
- For adjunct faculty – it can feel isolating not always being a part of the main campus or to have an office
- Hold virtual office hours to connect with students or colleagues
- Reach out to student support services to see how you can refer to students to
- When possible get a direct point of contact to provide a “virtual warm hand-off” where you can provide students a direct person within an office rather than general student services
