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Academic Assistance and Classroom Accommodations
Once you start your schooling program, you will make several decisions about how you will deal with testing, print materials, orientation and mobility, and other critical aspects of your educational life. Information and suggestions on some important issues to consider are listed below.
Disabled Student Services (DSS)
Most schools have an office or department that operates to provide information and accommodations for students with disabilities. If you attend a small school, this office may consist of one academic advisor or counselor who works with students who have disabilities. In larger schools, you may deal with an academic advisor in addition to a DSS office.
Registering for DSS provides you with access to testing accommodations, adaptive technology available on campus, and in some cases, note-takers and readers to put books on tape. DSS is also a good resource for mediation if you are having trouble with an instructor based on your disability.
To register for services, you need to schedule an appointment and provide documentation of your disability status. Ask your school’s office what constitutes appropriate documentation.
Managing Print Materials
Regardless of the educational program you attend, there will be instances when you have to read books, articles, manuals, handouts, forms, and other printed materials. Here are a few suggestions for managing these situations.
You may be able to have your textbooks taped through the school’s DSS office. Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTTBL) service are other options for finding books on tape. You will need to allow adequate time for taping and shipping of these materials, so it is important to start planning several weeks ahead for use of these services. Decide what classes you will be taking in the coming quarter and contact the professor for the book list as early as possible.
If you prefer enlarged text, your school may have a closed-captioned TV or a computer equipped with special software that you can use. Some books are available in large print editions from WTBBL. Your school’s DSS office may also provide some text enlarging services, especially for weekly handouts.
In classrooms, it helps if you take some time during the first week of classes to talk to your instructor about your needs for copies of overheads, verbalization of notes written on the board, etc.
Try to anticipate your reading load as you schedule your courses for each semester or quarter. Subjects like history, philosophy, and English tend to be text intensive; math-based and lab courses may have a lower volume of reading. Keep a good balance of light and heavy reading courses whenever possible.
You may want to hire a reader to work for you on a weekly basis. This is a good way to deal with miscellaneous handouts and articles given after the start of the quarter. Check with your counselor for information on paying readers.
Note-Taking
Some DSS offices will provide note-takers in classes. This can be useful in some instances, but generally cannot adequately substitute for your own note taking, because you will write and remember things that seem important to you.
Some students prefer to tape classes. This works well in some classes, but can be less effective in math-based courses. If you do want to use a tape recorder as part of your note taking strategy, it is always courteous to let the instructor know ahead of time.
Laptops, Braille note-taking devices, and pen and paper all work well. Some schools may have equipment that you can check out for your class sessions each day.
Test-Taking
Talk to your instructor early in the quarter about the format of tests. If you need accommodations to take the test, work with your instructor and DSS to fill out the appropriate paperwork and arrange a testing time and location. For example, you may need to go to another location on campus to use a computer to complete essays or have someone fill in a bubble sheet.
Adaptive Technology
Because each department has its own budget and grants, technical and adaptive equipment is sometimes scattered throughout a campus and may be under several jurisdictions. It is worth your time to ask DSS, the campus library, the campus computing service, and your department or program area about what equipment they have or are aware of on campus.
Closed-captioned TVs, speech and enlargement software, and books on tape are the most commonly available adaptive technologies. Some schools also have Braillers, scanners and print reading software. Most schools are not able to provide instruction on the use of these devices.
Orientation and Mobility
Arrange with your vocational rehabilitation counselor to have mobility training on the campus if necessary. DSS may be able to give you a general layout of the campus or directions to a particular building, but they are generally not equipped to give full mobility instruction. Your schedule is likely to change after each quarter or semester, so you may need to learn new routes with each new grading period.
Consider your mobility needs when scheduling courses. If you sign up for classes that are on opposite ends of campus, make sure your schedule allows you enough time to travel between classes.
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