|
|
LAMAR UNIVERSITY
SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Fast Facts for Faculty, Rights and
Responsibilities to Assure Access for Students with Disabilities
|
Developed by Patricia Carlton and
Jennifer Hertzfeld Ohio State University
Introduction
Educational access is the provision of classroom accommodations, auxiliary
aids and services to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students
regardless of disability. Creating equal educational opportunities is a
collaborative effort between the student, the faculty member, and the Services
for Students with Disabilities office (SFSWD). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 protect students
with disabilities from discrimination that may occur as a result of misconceptions,
attitudinal barriers, and/or failure of the institution to provide appropriate
accommodations, auxiliary aids, or services. Examples of accommodations and
auxiliary aids include, but are not limited to: qualified interpreters, note
takers, extra time for exams, and educational materials in alternate format
(i.e. Braille, audiotape, electronic format, and enlarged print).
SOME PROS AND CONS OF THE LECTURE
METHOD
Lecturing is one of the most widely used teaching methods in higher
education. The format is simple and straightforward: the instructor talks (and
illustrates, demonstrates, etc.) and students are held responsible for
obtaining, remembering, and using the most important content from the lecture
at a later time—most often on a quiz or an exam.
WHO BENEFITS
• Students with disabilities:A disability includes any physical or mental
impairment that substantially limits one or major life activity.
• All Faculty and Teaching Associates:Instructors are assisted in their
responsibility to teach all students in their classes and to provide equal
access to education.
• The Services for Students with Disabilities office: The office provides a
system for service coordination in order to better meet student needs.
• Lamar University: By providing educational access for all students, the
university meets its mandated responsibilities and enhances campus diversity.
Principles of ACCESS
A – Accessibility:
Faculty members play a major role in making their classrooms accessible
to all students.
C – Communication:
It is imperative that students with disabilities, faculty members,and
SFSWD communicate on a regular basis.
C – Confidentiality:
All instructors and SFSWD staff must respect a student’s right to
confidentiality.
E – Eligibility for Accommodations:
SFSWD is the office designated to determine eligibility for federally
mandated academic accommodations and services.
S – Student Responsibility:
Students have a responsibility in ensuring they get the necessary
services.
S – Support:
Both faculty and SFSWD work together to support students in their
legal right to access an education.
FACULTY RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Faculty Have The Right To:
Documentation
• Request verification of a student’s eligibility for any requested
academic adjustments and/or accommodations. Such verification will be in
the form of a memorandum written by the SFSWD Director. The memorandum
will be delivered by the qualified student. SFSWD is the only office
designated to review disability documentation and determine eligibility
for reasonable academic adjustments and/or accommodations.
Accommodations
• Expect the student to initiate accommodation requests.
• If the student is taking tests at SFSWD, expect SFSWD to administer exams
in a secure and monitored environment.
Faculty Have The Responsibility To:
Accommodations
• Identify and establish essential functions, abilities, skills, and
knowledge of their courses and evaluate students on this basis. Students
with disabilities should meet the same course expectations as their peers.
• Provide accommodations only to students who are registered with SFSWD. It
is NOT your responsibility to provide accommodations to students who are
not registered with SFSWD.
• Use a syllabus statement and class announcements to invite students to
disclose their needs. A fact sheet is available on syllabus statements
from the office of SWSWD.
• Act immediately upon getting a student’s request for accommodations by
providing the service. If you have questions, contact SFSWD at 880-8026
or at callie.trahan@lamar.edu.
• If a student needs alternative media, please provide SFSWD with syllabi,
textbooks, course packets etc, well before classes begin (5 weeks prior
to the start of the semester is recommended) in order for students with
disabilities to use alternative media when all other students have course
materials. With such timely consideration, students with disabilities who
have alternative media needs for accommodations and instructional access
will be best served. Converting print materials is both labor and time
intensive. Alternative media may be print material in Braille, on
audiotapes, scanned onto discs, or enlarged. Work to ensure that all
audio-visual materials used in class are accessible (e.g., that videos
shown are captioned for students with hearing impairments and that the
VCR equipment used has captioning capabilities, that videos shown will be
made with auditory description in some way or that written transcripts
will be provided, etc.)
• Consider incorporating principles of Universal Design for Learning in your
teaching. A fact sheet is available on Universal Design from SFSWD or via
www.osu.edu/grants/dpg/glossary.html.
Confidentiality
• Treat and protect all disability-related information as confidential
information. For example, keep printed items, such as Proctor Sheets or
emails regarding student disability-related information in a protected
location.
Communication
• Clearly communicate your testing procedures with the student and with
SFSWD.
• Consult with students with disabilities and SFSWD in providing appropriate
accommodations.
PLEASE NOTE: Faculty does NOT have the right to ask students if they have a
disability. For those students with documented disabilities, faculty
does NOT have the right to ask about the nature of the disability.
However, if students choose to disclose their disability, this
information should be treated confidentially.
STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Students Have The Right To:
Confidentiality
• Expect all disability-related information to be treated confidentially.
Accommodations
• Receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner from faculty or SFSWD.
Students should have the opportunity to meet privately with faculty to
discuss needed accommodations and any other concerns. Please keep in mind
that SFSWD is the only office designated to review disability documentation
and determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
• Appeal decisions regarding accommodations and auxiliary aids. For more
information, speak to the SFSWD Director.
Students Have The Responsibility To:
Documentation
• Provide SFSWD with appropriate documentation of the disability.
Confidentiality
• Go to the instructor during office hours or make an appointment with the
instructor to facilitate privacy when requesting accommodations.
Accommodations
• Initiate requests for specific accommodations in a timely manner,
preferably early in the semester.
• Follow procedures with faculty and SFSWD in order to get the appropriate
accommodations. When arranging for exam accommodations with SFSWD. Be
sure to notify at least four days before the exam.
• Inform SFSWD of the materials you need in alternate format as soon as
possible.
• Notify faculty/SFSWD immediately when an accommodation is not being provided
completely or correctly.
• Notify faculty/SFSWD immediately when a decision has been made to not use an
accommodation or the accommodation is no longer needed.
• Provide for one’s own personal independent living needs or other personal
disability-related needs. For example, coordinating services of personal
care attendants or acquiring homework assistance are the student's
responsibilities and are not the responsibilities of SFSWD.
Communication
Act as your own advocate. Work with counselors on developing advocacy skills and
communicating your specific needs and accommodations to faculty.
SFSWD RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
SFSWD Rights
Documentation
• Receive the appropriate documentation from the student prior to the services
being initiated.
Accommodations
• Expect students and faculty to work cooperatively with SFSWD to facilitate
academic accommodations.
• Deny unreasonable academic accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary
services. Accommodations can not impose undue hardship to, or fundamentally
alter, a program or activity of the college.
• Deny academic accommodations/services if appropriate documentation has not
been provided.
SFSWD Responsibilities
Documentation
• Collect, evaluate, securely house disability documentation and determine
eligibility for services.
Confidentiality
• Treat and protect all disability-related information as confidential
information.
• Meet with the student privately in an accessible location to discuss
disability-related needs.
Accommodations
• Administer exams as directed in a secure and monitored environment.
• Provide appropriate accommodations in collaboration with the instructor
and student.
• Provide print materials in accessible format once the faculty member
and student identifies them.
Communication
• Communicate procedures clearly to the student and the faculty.
Advocacy
• Assist students with disabilities in understanding their strengths
and functional limitations. Provide them with the skills to become
self-advocates.
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Alternative media: Print material that has been converted to a format
that enables a print impaired person to read the materials.
This includes but is not limited to: taped materials, Braille,
electronic text, and enlarged print.
Auxiliary aids: Services, equipment, and procedures that allow students with
disabilities access to learning and activities in and out of the
classroom. They include but are not limited to: sign language
interpreters, real time captioning services, adaptive technology,
alternative media, exam accommodations, etc.
Exam accommodations: Legally mandated services that allow students with
disabilities to exhibit their knowledge on exams by using
auxiliary aids which include but are not limited to: extra
time, a reader/scribe, computers, large print, CCTV,
distraction reduced environment, etc.
Universal design: An approach to designing course instruction, materials, and
content to benefit people of all learning styles without
adaptation or retrofitting. Universal design provides equal
access to learning, not simply equal access to information.
Universal design allows the student to control the method of
accessing information while the teacher monitors the learning
process and initiates any beneficial methods.
http://www.osu.edu/grants/dpg/glossary.html
This Fast Facts for Faculty is
produced by The Ohio State University Partnership Grant Improving the Quality
of Education for Students with Disabilities This publication is funded by the
US Department of Education under grant #P333A990046.
