Equal Access for Students with Disabilities

Karen Hanson, Disability Access Services (DAS)GTA Teaching Skills Workshop - PHHS, September 2011

Disability Access Services at Oregon State University

• OSU’s commitment to equal access • Who we are• Who we serve• Providing equal access is a collaborative effort

√ DAS√ Students √ Faculty/GTAs

• How to refer students to DAS• Confidentiality• Accommodations• Questions

OSU’s Commitment to Equal Access

Oregon State University is committed to providing equal opportunity to higher education for academically qualified students without regard to a disability. State and federal regulations prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability and require reasonable accommodation.

Who We Are

• Disability Access Services = DAS• Tracy Bentley-Townlin, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Student Life &

Director• Cindy Franklin, Student & Staff Support• Maureen Childers, Coordinator – Alternative Formats & Business Admin• Karen Hanson, Coordinator – Alternative Testing Services• Jennifer Gossett, Coordinator – Student Support Services• Jo Alexander, Program Manager – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Access Services• Haris Gunadi, Program Manager – Technology & Production Support Services• Gabriel Merrell, Program Manager – Virtual & Build Environments Access

• Many, many amazing and dedicated student workers

Who We Serve

729 = Number of DAS students in 2010-20111:33 = Ratio of DAS to OSU total enrollment

Diabetes

Seizure

s

Autism

Spectrum

Visual

Head Injury

Deaf/Hard of H

earing

Orthopedic

Other

Psych

ologica

l

Learnin

g Disa

bility

ADD/ADHD

1% 1% 2% 3% 3% 4%7% 9%

12%

26%29%

DAS Student Population (%) by Disability Type

Per

cent

age

Equal Access is a Collaborative Effort: Role of DAS

• Determines accommodation eligibility based on student medical/psychological documentation from a qualified provider

• Communicates accommodation eligibility to faculty via email

• Collaborates with faculty to provide reasonable accommodations• Provides education, training and consultation on accommodations and accessible course materials, websites, technology and adaptive devices.

Equal Access is a Collaborative Effort: Role of Student

• Once registered with DAS, requests accommodations each term• Initiates conversation with faculty during first week of term• Faculty can help by creating an open, welcoming environment

Equal Access is a Collaborative Effort: Role of Faculty/GTAs

• Watch for notification of accommodations email from DAS√ Email includes link to faculty and staff guidelines√ If further clarification or assistance is needed, contact DAS√ Faculty expertise and input periodically needed

• Statement in syllabus • Accessible textbooks, course materials, handouts, and websites

√ Consult with DAS re: accessible textbooks, prior to selection√ Consult OSUs IT Web Accessibility Guidelines

• Referring students to DAS

How to Refer Students to DAS

• If student discloses a disability, then refer directly to DAS • If you suspect a disability

Inconsistent academic performance

Ask what services on campus students are connected with, offering examples like CAPS, Academic Success Center, DAS, tutoring…

“Sometimes students who experience similar challenges have gotten help through DAS.”

Avoid asking “Do you have _____?”

• Other students requesting accommodations √ For temporary illness and injuries (i.e. flu), and for English language learners, consult your department or lead faculty √ Other campus support services

Confidentiality

• All services through DAS are confidential• Information concerning a student's disability should be disclosed only to those with a legitimate “need to know.”• Please do not discuss a student's disability or need for accommodations in front of other students.

Accommodations: Testing

• Types of testing accommodations Extended time

Quiet location

Computer for word-processing , etc

• DAS proctors tests upon faculty request Student initiates online testing contract

DAS needs 1-2 weeks advance notice

• If faculty/GTAs proctor tests, show student testing location in advance to avoid any surprises

Accommodations: Notetaking

• DAS pays students already enrolled in class for copies of their notes

• If we’re unable to identify a notetaker, we’ll ask for faculty assistance by:

Making an announcement in class to recruit a notetaker

Providing instructor’s lecture notes

Accommodations: Etext

• Faculty submits textbook information to OSU Bookstore• If selecting a new book, consider these publishers first:

Pearson Learning, Cengage, and John Wiley

• DAS provides Etext if not available from publisher • Occasionally we ask faculty for a copy of your book to scan for student

Accommodations: Classrooms, Table & Chairs

• Classroom access/ relocation • Tables and chairs

DAS arranges with Facilities

Please help keep furniture marked “DAS” in the classroom

Coming this fall: electronically-tagged chairs in every general purpose classroom!

Accommodations: Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHOH)

• Captioning for classroom videos Faculty submits selected video titles to DAS

For short videos, 1 week advance notice

• FM System Student brings microphone for faculty to wear

Remember to take it off when you leave class

• Real time transcribing Live or remote

• Sign language interpreters Speak to the student, not the interpreter

Thank you!

Questions?