Accessibility Services

A "reasonable and appropriate accommodation" is a modification, adjustment, and/or auxiliary aid that minimizes or eliminates the impact of a disability, allowing the student to gain equal access and opportunity to participate in the University's courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities.

A "reasonable and appropriate accommodation" is one that does not:

• require a substantial change or alteration in the curriculum to an essential element of a course or program
• fundamentally alter the nature of the service provided
• pose an undue financial hardship or administrative burden
• pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others

The Accessibility Services Coordinator determines the accommodation(s) using:

• Documentation of the disability from qualified professionals provided by the student
• Information gathered from a student intake interview
• Information from appropriate college personnel regarding essential standards for courses, programs, services, jobs, activities, and facilities
• The Accessibility Services Coordinator may also consult with the Faculty Advisory Committee to determine if an accommodation will alter the nature of a particular course, or may alter the overall curriculum

The determination of reasonable accommodation(s) considers the following:

• The barriers resulting from the interaction between the disability and the campus environment
• The array of accommodations that might remove the barriers
• Whether or not the student has access to the course, program, service, job, activity, or facility without accommodation(s)
• That essential elements of the course, program, service, job, activity, or facility are not compromised by the accommodation(s)

Won't providing accommodation(s) on examinations give an unfair advantage to a student with a disability?

• Accommodations don't make things easier, just possible; in the same way eyeglasses do not improve the strength of the eyes they just make it possible for the individual to see better. Accommodations are interventions that allow the learner to indicate what they know. Without the accommodations, the learner may not be able to overcome certain barriers.
• Accommodations are designed to lessen the effects of the disability and are required to provide fair and accurate testing to measure knowledge or expertise in the subject. Careful consideration must be given to requests for accommodations when the test is measuring a skill, particularly if that skill is an essential function or requirement of passing the course such as typing at a certain speed or turning a patient for an x-ray. In such cases please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator for guidance.
• The purpose of such academic accommodations is to adjust for the effect of the student's disability, not to dilute academic requirements. The evaluation and assigning of grades should have the same standards for all students, including students with disabilities.
• For many students with disabilities, the most common accommodation is extra time on tests. In specific circumstances, students may also require the use of readers and/or scribes, a modification of test format, or the administration of examinations orally.

Adapted from Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida

Students must meet with ODU's Accessibility Services Coordinator at the beginning of each semester to discuss test accommodations, to provide all test & quiz dates, and request that the Coordinator notify Professors of test accommodations and arrangements.

• Students are expected to take tests at the same time as their classmates. If their schedule prohibits this, the student must make arrangements with the Professor (prior to the test date) to take the test at a different time than the class. The Accessibility Services Office will not give the test at a different time without authorization from the Professor.
• Illnesses or appointments that cause students to miss tests will be subject to the standards set in each Professor’s syllabus – disability issues do not automatically excuse a student from missing a test. Please consult the Professor & their syllabus for specific details regarding the possibility of make-up tests, and if tests can be made up at all.
• Students should give the Coordinator their test dates by the end of the second week of classes.

Once you provide the Coordinator with your test dates, your tests will be added to the Coordinator’s testing calendar.

The Coordinator will not have your test available for you if you do not provide your tests dates and the following information:

• Test and quiz dates
• Class number
• Class time
• Professor’s name to the Coordinator
• It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator a minimum of 72 hours in advance to make an appointment to take the test using the parameters established by your instructor.
  • If a Professor does not provide test & quiz dates in the syllabus, It is the responsibility of the student to notify the Coordinator as soon as you know of an upcoming quiz or test. Professors typically give a week’s notice for a test, so please e-mail the Coordinator when a test or quiz is scheduled.
• The student must notify the professor prior to the test date if the student plans to take the test in the Accessibility Services Office using test accommodations.

You must contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator at Accessibility@ohiodominican.edu or (614) 251-4511 to arrange this accommodation.

Identification

• High School - Students are identified by the school districts
• College - Students must self-identify by registering with the Disability Services office

Privacy

• High School - Information is shared with parents/guardians
• College - Student's right to privacy and confidentiality is upheld

Placement & Accommodations

• High School - Placement and accommodations include parents/guardians
• College - Placement and Accommodations do NOT include parents/guardians

Eligibility for Services

• High School - Eligibility for services is diagnosis-driven
• College - Eligibility for services is driven by severity and impact on major life activity(ies)

Instructor Awareness

• High School - Special Education teachers know you well and are aware of your specific difficulties or concerns, and know your strengths and weaknesses
• College - Students will need to initiate discussion and make your concerns known to college instructors, advisors, and disability resource facilitators

Time Management

• High School - School district structures a student's weekly schedule
• College - Student is responsible for their own time management

Reminders & Deadlines

• High School - Teachers remind students of exam dates and assignment deadlines
• College - Students are expected to know exam dates and assignment deadlines by referring to their syllabi

Time Spent in Classroom

• High School - Time spent in classroom averages about 40 hours per week
• College - Time spent in classroom is approximately 13-16 hours per week. Don't let this fool you! You will be doing homework, reading, writing papers, etc... Outside the classroom. Plan to spend 3 - 4 hours studying and doing schoolwork outside the classroom for every one hour that you spend in class

Time Spent on Homework

• High School - Time spent on homework is oftentimes substantially less than in college
• College - Time spent on homework is usually 2 hours for every hour you spend in class

Preparing for Exams

• High School - Preparing for exams usually involved memorization, and identification of information
• College - Preparing for exams will involve application of information

Tutors

• High School - Tutors and/or extra instruction is provided by teachers
• College - Students must seek out their own tutors to get more information on specific content information

Grades Changes

• High School - Instructors might retroactively change grades by allowing a student to retake an exam
• College - Grades aren't usually retroactive

Altering Courses & Programs

• High School - Courses and programs can be fundamentally altered
• College - Courses and programs ARE NOT fundamentally altered

Adapted from the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Here are some helpful links that further explain college students' rights and responsibilities:

• Students with Disabilities Preparing for Post-Secondary Education: Know your rights and responsibilities
• Auxiliary Aids and Services for Posts-Secondary Students with Disabilities: Higher Education's Obligations Under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA 

To this nation's over 43 million citizens with disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) represents an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate the barriers to independence and productivity.

The ADA is modeled after the Civil Rights Act and Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (e.g., the definition of a "qualified person with a disability" is the same and similar accommodations/modifications are mandated). The Bill was originally drafted by the National Council on Disability and is supported by every major disability organization. The ADA was signed into law in July 1990, and amended in 2008.

What is the purpose of ADA?
The purpose of ADA is to extend to people with disabilities civil rights similar to those now available to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion through the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

What does ADA do?
It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in private sector employment, services rendered by state and local governments, places of public accommodation, transportation, telecommunications and relay services.

Who is protected under ADA?
Under the ADA a person has a disability if he/she has a substantial physical or mental impairment, has a record of such impairment or is regarded as having such an impairment even if they are not continuously impaired by their disability, (e.g. random epileptic attacks), or have a personal relationship with someone with a known disability. Personal relationships are not limited to family members.

A substantial impairment is one that significantly limits or restricts a major life activity. It includes conditions controlled by medication such as epilepsy or depression or those mitigated by a prosthetic device. Major life activities include (but are not limited to) performing manual tasks, Learning, walking, working, seeing, caring for oneself, hearing, breathing, eating, sleeping, speaking, reading, learning, concentrating, thinking, and communicating.


THE REHABILITATION ACT of 1973, SECTION 504

What is Section 504?
"No otherwise qualified disabled individual in the United States...shall, solely by reason of... disability, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

A disabled person is "any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment." This includes (but is not limited to) persons with mental retardation; specific learning disabilities; psychiatric problems; traumatic head or spinal cord injuries; orthopedic handicaps; neurological impairments; chronic illness; drug or alcohol addiction (i.e., former users only); and visual, hearing, or speech impairments.

A qualified disabled person is defined as one who meets the requisite academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in the post-secondary institution's programs and activities. Section 504 protects the civil rights of individuals who are qualified to participate and who meet the definition of a disabled person as defined above.

For college students with disabilities, academic adjustments may include such things as adaptations in the way specific course material is presented, the use of auxiliary equipment and support staff, and modifications in academic requirements. A college or university has the flexibility to select the aid or service it provides, as long as it is effective. Such aids or services should be selected in consultation with the student who will use them.

Accommodations include such things as removing architectural barriers; providing readers, notetakers, and/or interpreters for classes and related course activities; providing alterations, substitutions, or waivers of courses or degree requirements on a case-by-case basis; altering length or times for exams, and/or allowing use of readers, scribes, etc.; and permitting the use of adaptive equipment or other technology to assist with test-taking and study skills.

Ohio Dominican University is committed to providing equal access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities. 

For more information, contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator at Accessibility@ohiodominican.edu or (614) 251-4593, or stop by Accessibility Services in 247 Bishop Griffin Student Center from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Accessibility Websites

• Attention Deficit Disorder. Children and adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder & Attention Deficit Disorder. www.chadd.org
• Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism spectrum disorders affect 1 out of every 150 people. Find the facts about autism and Asperger’s syndrome at the Center for Disease Controls website. www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism
• Blindness. The American Federation for the Blind has all kinds of information about assistive technology, Braille and blindness. www.afb.org
• Center for Disease Control. The Center for Disease control has excellent information about a variety of disorders & diseases. www.cdc.gov
• Deafness. Myths and facts about deafness are explored at this website.  Test your knowledge and see how you do!  In addition, many helpful resources are available that give readers insight into the Deaf culture. http://insidedeafculture.com
• Learning Disabilities. This website includes information on different types of learning disabilities and how they affect adult students. The website also has facts about gettingtested for a learning disability. www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/adults/index.asp
• Psychiatric Disabilities. From Boston University, this website explores psychiatric disabilities in depth and offers advice for handling this type of disability in the college and work settings. www.bu.edu/cpr/jobschool
• Traumatic Brain Injury. The Center for Disease Control explains the effects of a TBI. www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/TBI.htm
• Wheelchair Users. Challenge your assumptions about individuals who use wheelchairs by visiting this comprehensive web site.  It includes sections on wheelchair etiquette, service animals, and the different types of wheelchairs that people use. www.wheelchairnet.org

Disability & Social Justice

• From the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, this interactive presentation is filled with information about the disability rights movement in America: 
• This timeline explores the many advances that people with disabilities have made in furthering our civil rights and freedoms: 

Disability & Higher Education

There is a marked difference between accommodations in secondary school, and accommodations in post-secondary school, please review these differences and plan your transition to college accordingly

• Students with Disabilities Preparing for Post-Secondary Education: Know your rights and responsibilities
• Auxiliary Aids and Services for Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities: Higher Education's Obligations Under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA
• The Western New York Consortium of Colleges outlines the legal differences between high school and college in a helpful, concise manner
• College is also different from high school academically. Think about taking tips from the DO-IT Center by reading their "College Survival Skills."

Disability & Employment

• Employment information and opportunities
• Job Accommodation Network is an excellent resource for information about accommodations for work. 
• Rehabilitation Services Commission of Ohio is a federal agency that assists people with disabilities find employment, retain employment, and occasionally provides training and education for qualified individuals with disabilities. 

Disability Studies

Disability Studies is an emerging academic discipline that looks at disability from historical, legal, psychological, sociological, biological, educational, and literary perspectives. 

The World Institute on Disability was founded by Edward Roberts, who was a political science teacher from California and a quadriplegic.  It is a leading think tank in the disability studies field.

The Society for Disability Studies is an organization that studies the invaluable contributions that disabled people have made to our society. It also looks at legal issues surrounding disability, cross-cultural communication, and the portrayal of disabled people in the media.

The mission of the Accessibility Services Office is threefold:

• To ensure that students with disability, injury, or chronic conditions can freely participate in all aspects of college life
• To provide and coordinate services to maximize students' educational potential while supporting their independence to the fullest extent possible
• To work closely with faculty and staff in an advisory capacity to assist in the development of reasonable accommodations that allow students with disability, injury, or chronic conditions to participate fully in all of the programs offered on campus, thereby raising awareness of the meaning and importance of equity and inclusion among all members of the college community.