The office of Disability Support Services will determine the reasonable accommodations to be made by the university based on the individual needs of the student.

Services will be designed in a manner intended to remove barriers which hinder learning and which allow maximum independence.  Accommodations are not intended to give the student an unfair advantage over other students.

Each student is authorized to act as his or her own advocate and has the major responsibility for securing assistance.  Early and regular contacts with the Coordinator of Disability Support Services will help ensure the timely identification and provision of services and accommodations.

Accommodations cannot be retroactive and begin only after documentation is received and a reasonable time for accommodation development has been allowed.

Services offered, based on individual need, include:

• Notetaking Assistance
• Assistance in obtaining sign language interpreters for students who are deaf and/or hearing impaired
• Individualized suggestions for accommodations in the classroom
• Alternative Testing
• Permission to use a tape recorder to record lectures
• Alternate Format Texts
• Special tables and chairs
• Accessibility Accommodations

The Americans With Disabilities Act does not require colleges to provide personal assistants, individual personal tutors, or personal assistive technology.  Whenever possible, the Office of Disability Support Services will refer students to agencies which may provide personal assistance of that nature.  Accommodations are not made which reduce academic expectations, standards, or which would eliminate essential components of any course.

NOTETAKING ASSISTANCE:

Students with documented disabilities may request notetakers.  It is the students’ responsibility to contact the Disability Services director to request assistance with note taking. This request, accompanied by a student's class schedule, must be given to DSS three weeks prior to the beginning of classes.  Late requests and schedules may not be honored in a timely fashion.

During the semester students with a disability and notetakers are encouraged to communicate with one another frequently about note taking concerns, such as arrangements for receiving notes.   Students should work with their notetakers to determine the type of notes preferred and the appropriateness of the notes supplied. NCR paper may be picked up by the student with the disability. The student must upon giving receipt of the Accommodations letter to the professor also supply the NCR paper. If a professor has a good student in class and feels comfortable in doing so, please ask them to share notes with the student needing assistance. In the alternative, the professor should read the following statement:

 “The University has requested a volunteer in this class to share their notes with a student that needs assistance. If anyone would like to volunteer, please contact me after class.” 

Because all matters pertaining to disability issues are to be treated as confidential medical records, you should not name the student in reading the request to the class. It is also best not to refer to a person’s disability when in front of, or within hearing of other students. It is the responsibility of the SWD to ensure they are in class to receive notes.  If a SWD misses a class he/she is not eligible to receive notes for that day from the regular notetaker unless the Professor agrees.  All SWD must attend class in order to receive notes as an accommodation.  If the SWD has not received notes they must speak with the Professor again.  If the Professor does not ensure the student of getting the proper notes call the DSS coordinator.

ALTERNATIVE TESTING:

All academic activities associated with a class are the responsibility of the faculty member to whom the class is assigned, including testing.  Consequently, decisions on what occurs in a class and the arrangement for the administration of special tests for students with disabilities is also the responsibility of the faculty member in charge.  Test administration could include test proctoring, measurement, evaluation, or monitoring of a student's progress and performance.  The faculty member may choose to administer an exam personally, allow a graduate assistant to administer the exam, or choose another viable option.

In the event the faculty member has difficulty in finding an appropriate person to proctor an examination, Disability Support Services will provide a proctor.  Arrangement for a proctor through DSS must come from or be cleared with the faculty member.  Faculty members who wish to request a proctor to administer exams should complete and return the test administration form located in the appendix.

DSS encourages students to communicate with faculty members about necessary special accommodations in a timely fashion at the beginning of each semester.  If students encounter difficulty with the administration of exams, they should first discuss it with the faculty member and then DSS.

Many times the most appropriate option or environment for test adaptation is at locations designated by DSS.  Common types of adaptation include extended time periods or oral tests, using readers, writers, word processors, audio-cassettes and visual magnification systems.

The faculty member and DSS will discuss arrangements regarding the most appropriate test procedures and the time allowed to complete exams.  SWD will receive no more than double time and no student will be given unlimited time.  Before each test given in the DSS the SWD will sign the “Rules and Regulations” form provided by DSS. 

ALTERNATE FORMAT TEXTS:

During each semester, DSS will provide assistance with the recruitment, selection, orientation, and placement of readers who will read text onto tape for blind and visually impaired students.  Students should provide their own tapes.  All other SWD may record their own tapes using computer software that is located in the library on the1st floor.  All students should use the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) which is a national lending library of taped textbooks for blind, learning disabled, dyslexic and orthopedically impaired students.  A computerized listing of available books can be obtained by using the website http://www.rfbd.org/.  There is a RFB&D registration fee and annual membership fee.  This fee is the student's responsibility.  If a book is already recorded, students who are registered with RFB&D may receive taped textbooks in 2 weeks from RFB&D.  If the book is not previously recorded, the student must obtain two copies of the text to be sent to a recording unit, where volunteers produce the books.  Depending on the type of text, recording time can be four months to a year.  More technical books, such as foreign languages, science, math, computer science, etc., may take a very long time.

The recordings are made on a four-track system, which plays at a slower speed. This enables students to play about 2 1/2 hours of information on one 60 minute cassette tape.  This system requires a special player which is available on loan from the National Library of Congress through most Public Library’s, or may be purchased from the American Printing House for the Blind.  These recorders are designed to allow regular recording, such as taping class lectures, and the recorders have an indexing feature.

Faculty are urged to order textbooks and provide syllabi as early as possible. Students who use braille may need braille textbooks for certain technical classes such as math, statistics, foreign languages, science, etc.  These books may be obtained through the National Braille Press; however, the master copies are kept in various state and regional libraries around the country.

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:

Over the past few years, UCO has made numerous modifications and improvements to enhance campus accessibility for students with disabilities.  If students, faculty or staff encounter obstacles with programs, facilities, or the campus structure they should contact Disability Support Services and register their concerns or recommendations.  Disability Support Services will assist with the elimination of that difficulty.  To assure that the request for services is communicated clearly, an Accommodation Request Form should be completed and returned to DSS.  A copy of the Physical Accommodations Request Form is in the appendix.  If the completion of a form is a problem, individuals should inform DSS through another mode of communication.

Designated reserved parking and conveniently located sidewalks and curb cuts provide accessible passageways throughout the campus for persons with disabilities.  Accessible restrooms, water fountains, and telephones are available in UCO buildings.  Emergency phones are located throughout the campus and provide direct connection with the University Police Department. TTY machines are available in the UCO library computer lab, Cyber Café and in DSS Room 309 of the University Center.