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OSU-Mansfield Office for Disability Services (ODS) Faculty & Staff Handbook
The Ohio State University Mansfield Faculty and Staff Handbook and Resource Guide
Edited by Michelle McLane, Disability Services
August 2010
Table of Contents
Letter to Faculty and Staff members
ODS Mission and Mandate
Mission
Mandate
ODS Hours of Service
Student Eligibility for Services
Most Frequently Asked Questions
What to Know Before You Teach: Points to Guide Instructors
Confidentiality and Release of Information
Class Attendance
Accommodating the Disabled Student in your Classroom
Testing Accommodations
Initiating Testing Accommodation Services
Test Readers/Use of Computer During Tests
Test Scribes/Use of Computer During Tests
Note Taking Assistance
Securing Note Takers for Students with Disabilities
Note Taking Process
Textbooks in alternate format
Temporary Disabilities
Transportation for Persons with Disabilities
Disability Parking
Strategies for Teaching Students with Disabilities
Emergency Procedures for Students with Disabilities
Voter Registration
Appendices
Appendix I: Model Syllabus Statement
Appendix II: Accommodation Letter example
Appendix III: Test Proctor Sheet example
References
Letter to Faculty and Staff members
Dear Faculty or Staff Member,
I have put together this handbook in order to help you to better serve students with disabilities who may be in your classes. The Office for Disability Services (ODS) on the Mansfield campus is located in Conard Learning Center.
I really strive to be a resource to instructors and staff on our campus. I appreciate your use of this handbook and the opportunity to meet with you and discuss teaching strategies and accommodations for students with disabilities, as well as to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about individual students in your classes. And if you yourself need accommodations due to a disability, I am also happy to assist you with these needs.
Included in this handbook is a mission statement for ODS, some teaching strategies with regard to various disabilities, and a sample of the Accommodations Letter form used by students and a copy of aTest Proctor Sheet form.Students with disabilities should submit the Accommodations Letter to you, which verifies that he or she has a documented disability. This letter also lists all the accommodations granted to each student, based upon my review of his or her disability documentation. This letter can then provide a basis for discussing the best ways in which to meet students’ learning needs.The Test Proctor Sheet form is to accompany any exam that is to be administered in Conard Learning Center.These and other forms and information can be found in the appendix at the end of this handbook.
Please feel free to contact me by telephone, e-mail, or in person. I am looking forward to talking with you.
Sincerely,
Michelle McLane, M.A.
Learning Disability Specialist
Office for Disability Services
Conard Learning Center
(419) 755-4304
ODS Mission and Mandate
Mission
The Mission of ODS is to provide and coordinate support services and programs that enable students with disabilities to receive equal access to an education and all aspects of University life (The Ohio State University Office for Disability Services, 2005).
Mandate
No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States ... shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance").
"Subject to the provisions of this title, no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by such entity" (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of The Americans with Disabilities Act as cited in The Ohio State University Office for Disability Services, 2005b).
ODS Hours of Service
ODS at OSU-Mansfield is located in Conard Learning Center. Please call the Conard Learning Center reception desk at (419) 755-4201 or contact Michelle McLane, the Disability Specialist, directly at (419) 755-4304 to make an appointment. Please also do not hesitate to call Michelle if you have any questions or concerns.
Michelle is available to speak with you in person on a walk-in basis or by appointment. She works Monday-Friday 8:00AM to 12:00PM and 1:00-5:00 PM Autumn through Spring quarters. Please note that Michelle works part-time during summer quarter and may not work every day or every week during the summer session. Michelle does not work during student academic breaks and holidays.
Student tests and exams can be scheduled at ODS during times set aside each quarter. Students must complete tests and exams by 5:00 p.m. daily. Tests are not proctored between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Student Eligibility for Services
ODS provides services for a wide variety of students who have disabilities. Any student who has mobility impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, head injury, a diagnosed learning disability, or attention deficit disorder is eligible for services. Students with chronic illnesses, e.g., cancer, diabetes, seizure disorder, lupus, psychiatric disabilities; are also eligible for services. ODS determines who is eligible for services based upon the diagnosis and the student's assessment of specific needs. In addition, individuals with temporary disabilities may receive services as necessary.
ODS determines specific services and accommodations. In order to initiate services, each student with a disability must provide ODS with appropriate documentation of his/her disability. ODS has set criteria for the documentation. Faculty can be assured that every student receiving services from ODS has a documented disability (Meyer, 2003).
ODS can also serve faculty and staff members who require job accommodations at the OSU-Mansfield campus due to a disability. Please contact Michelle McLane, the Disability Specialist at r call her direct line 419-755-4304 for assistance.
Most Frequently Asked Questions
Although enrollment rates of students with disabilities in higher education are increasing, some faculty and teaching staff may not be aware of the many services and supports available to students with disabilities. In particular, instructional staff members may not always be aware of the types of accommodations available or what steps are involved in the accommodations process. The following is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the roles and responsibilities of faculty and teaching associates in providing accessible learning for students with disabilities. Although these questions address the most common of concerns, the issue of faculty and TA responsibility is situation-specific and as such can be difficult to define. As you are confronted with some of your concerns, keep in mind that ODS is the office on campus that determines appropriate accommodations. I hope that you find the following questions to be a quick and useful resource guide, but I encourage you to contact ODS at (419)755-4304, C100GConard Learning Centerwhen you are in doubt about how best to meet the needs of a student with a disability.
Question 1: Who is responsible for determining appropriate accommodations?
Answer: ODS is the office on campus that determines appropriate accommodations. The office bases their decision upon documentation collected from a student with a disability and the student's functional limitations.
Question 2: Are all students with disabilities registered with ODS?
Answer: No, it is likely that many students with disabilities have chosen not to be registered with ODS or they may not have met the eligibility criteria for services. If students have chosen to not register for disability services or if are not eligible for services, faculty need not provide these students with accommodations.
Question 3: What would be the best way to inform students in the class that I would like to help in facilitating exam accommodations or any classroom accommodations?
Answer: It is important that all course instructorsand faculty put a statement about accommodations in their syllabus. It should go something like this: "Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Office for Disability Services at (419)755-4304 in room C100G of Conard Learning Center ‘Math Lab’ to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities."
Question 4: Am I required to provide exam accommodations to students who request it?
Answer: Yes you are. Students with disabilities are protected by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. This law requires that qualified students with disabilities get equal access to an education, and this includes test, quiz, and exam accommodations.
Question 5: A student has asked for accommodations. How do I know the student truly has a disability and needs accommodations?
Answer:You may ask the student to provide you with a letter verifying that s/he has a disability. The student, if registered with ODS, will be given a letter after a request is made. ODS has on file for every student who is registered with the office and uses services, documentation of the disability.
Question 6: I have a student in class who told me that s/he has a disability, but since that time has never requested any accommodations. Am I still responsible for accommodations?
Answer:No, you are only responsible for reasonable accommodations if requested. In these types of situations, however, it would be appropriate to speak to the student privately to let the student know that you welcome the opportunity to discuss reasonable accommodations if the student is interested.
Question 7: What are some of the types of exam accommodations available to students with disabilities?
Answer:First of all, the exam accommodations are based upon the student's functional limitations and the documentation of disability that the student has provided ODS. Some of these accommodations include but are not limited to: extra time for exams (usually 50% extra time but in some cases as much as double time), a reader or scribe (a person who writes answers verbatim), a computer with assistive software program(s), a Brailled exam, an enlarged exam, an exam scanned onto computer media and use of computer (i.e., student uses text to speech software, enlargement software, or spelling/grammar check), a distraction-reduced space, image enhancements (converting graphs, charts, and other types of images converted into raised-line format), and use of a closed circuit TV to enlarge print.
Question 8: A student with a disability has requested that s/he take an exam at ODS. How do I know that my exam will be safe and that the student will get no unfair advantage?
Answer:ODS has rigid procedures for exams, and no student is able to take an exam with appropriate accommodations without authorization. Exams stored at ODS are kept in a locked file during the night. While students are taking the exam, they are monitored periodically. Test studios have small windows and mirrors to enable the staff to periodically view the students while they are taking tests. Once in a great while, there are a few issues; however, ODS works diligently to rectify any problems.
Question 9: Students with disabilities ask me to fill out "proctor sheets." I have a million things to do. I don't mind if they use exam accommodations, but do I have to fill out thatform?
Answer:Yes you do, if the student needs to take the test with ODS at Conard Learning Center. In order for students to arrange for exam accommodations at ODS, and in order for ODS to administer your exam to your student, you must quickly and totally fill out the proctor sheets.ODS also highly recommends meeting with the student requesting accommodations so that you can fill the sheet out together. This is to ensure that the student’s test date and time do not conflict with other tests. Students should not have to miss a class because they are using their accommodations of extended testing time. A specific date, time, and time limit must be provided on the test proctor sheet. You will be asked to schedule this test within the confines of the test proctoring times offered by ODS at Conard Learning Center. The test proctor sheet helpsODS to schedule the test, facilitate the exam accommodation process, and also helps ODS administer the exams using your specific requirements for the administration of the exam. You may, however, opt to administer the exam yourself to the student, but appropriate exam accommodations must be provided. This includes adaptive technology, a distraction-reduced space, reader/scribes, etc. if needed. If you unable to provide appropriate accommodations or are unsure about what is appropriate, please work with ODS to ensure that the student's accommodation needs are met.
Question 10: I've been debating about what book I want to use for my class, but ODS keeps asking me to select a book ASAP. Do I have to?
Answer:Yes you do. It takes a trained reader at ODS an hour to read/scan and prepare ten pages of a textbook and sometimes fewer pages depending upon the technical nature of the course and the format needed. Some materials must be sent out to external vendors to be converted. ODS may have several other books or other reading assignments quarterly to be taped, Brailled, or scanned onto disc. The ODS office is only staffed with one full-time employee, the Disability Specialist. The Disability Specialist runs all functions of the office, including the conversion of print materials into an alternative format. Students who are print impaired have a legal right to equal access to their textbooks or any instruction as their peers. They need to be able to listen to taped or scanned textbooks at the same time as others in the class. By delaying the selection of textbooks, ODS may not be able to get books converted to an appropriate format in a timely fashion. This means that students may have to start the quarter without access to their textbooks. None of us want to contribute to a student getting behind or failing a class.
Question 11: When I have a deaf student in class, am I required to have an interpreter or real time captionner in the class, too? My class is very crowded and also, the students sometimes watch the interpreter instead of me.
Answer: There is no question about it. You are required by law to have what is essential for the student to have equal access to an education, and this includes a sign language interpreter or real time captionner.
Question 12: A student with a disability has asked me for a copy of my notes and overheads. Do I have to give this to the student?
Answer:Some students with disabilities have difficulty taking notes. Sometimes faculty notes are only a brief outline of the actual lecture given. These notes may not be too helpful. It is important that you assist the student in getting access to class notes. You may want to help the student find a volunteer note taker in class by making an announcement in class without revealing the student's name. It would be even more helpful and effective if you could identify a student that might make a good note taker and ask that person privately if they would consider helping one of their classmates with notes. If you have a graduate student in class to assist you and if this person takes notes, these notes may be another option. If you feel your notes are good, sharing your notes would be a third option. Many faculty and departments have developed website guided notes. This has been extremely helpful to many students who lack the ability to keep up the pace in taking thorough notes. It may also be appropriate for some students to tape a class.
Question 13: I have a student who is having difficulty in my class. I think this student may have a disability. What should I do to help the student?
Answer:Talk privately with the student to discuss your observations. The student may reveal s/he has a disability. If this is the case and the student is registered with ODS, suggest that the student talk to his/her counselor in this office. While the Disability Specialist at OSU-Mansfield is not qualified to do testing for a disability, she is trained to see the indications that a learning disability might be present. She may refer the student for diagnostic testing for a suspected learning disability. Please suggest that the student call Michelle McLane, Disability Specialist, in Conard Learning Center at 419-755-4304 for further information.
Question 14: Am I required to lower the standards of a required assignment because the student has a disability?
Answer:No, the standards should be the same for all students; however, some students with disabilities may exhibit their knowledge, production, and other course expectations differently than their peers. For example, a student with a learning disability in writing may produce an essay exam by using a computer or scribe rather than writing out an answer without the use of accommodations. The quality of work produced by the student with a disability should be the same.