Academic Adjustment

Academic Adjustments make it possible for a student with a disability to learn the material presented and for an instructor to fairly evaluate the student’s understanding of the material without interference because of the disability.
A student needs official authorization before receiving Academic Adjustment. The student is responsible for providing the ODS office with current documentation from qualified professionals regarding the nature of the disability. After talking with the student and, if necessary, the instructor, the ODS staff member determines appropriate Academic Adjustment based on the nature and extent of the disability described in the documentation. The ODS staff member then constructs an Academic Adjustment Letter specifying authorized accommodations. The student is responsible for delivering the Academic Adjustment Letter to instructors and discussing arrangements for Academic Adjustment based on the contents of the letter. The process of requesting and receiving accommodations is interactive; all people involved—the student, the instructor and ODS—have a responsibility to make sure the process works.

Examples of Academic Adjustment that students with disabilities may require:

• Use of interpreters, scribes, readers, and/or note-takers
• Taped classes and/or texts
• Enlarged copies of notes, required readings, handouts and exam questions
• Extended time on exams
• Quiet, distraction-free environment for taking exams
• Use of aids, such as calculators or desk references, during exams
• Use of computers in class or access to computers for writing assignments and exams
• Taped or oral versions of exams
• Alternative methods of testing, such as demonstrating mastery of course objectives by means of a research paper, oral presentation, etc.

Note-takers:

The need for note takers will be documented in the Academic Adjustment Letter. Students who cannot take notes or who have difficulty taking adequate notes, can be accommodated in a number of ways, including: taping lectures, using an in-class volunteer note taker, and/or providing an outline of lecture materials. The student may ask the instructor for assistance in finding a classmate who would volunteer to provide a copy of lecture notes. Instructors can also be of great assistance in quality assurance by occasionally reviewing copies of the notes, especially early in the term, and giving feedback to the note taker. The note taker may copy notes at ODS or use carbonless paper, available to the student with a disability at no cost from ODS.

Interpreters:

If a steno interpreter will be in your classroom with a student who is deaf or hard of hearing (D/HOH), you will be given the following explanation sheets.

During this quarter there will be a steno interpreter transcribing for a student with a hearing impairment in your class. The machine he/she will use is called a steno machine, the same one used by court reporters for many years. The steno machine will be linked to a laptop computer and everything the steno interpreter writes will show immediately onto the computer screen. This system is currently being utilized as a communication tool in different areas such as captioning and realtime translation. The steno interpreter will provide a disc of the notes from the class to the student with a hearing impairment.

Your patience and understanding is appreciated as we implement this program for the benefit of our students. The steno interpreter has worked hard to develop his/her dictionaries and to become proficient in the art of realtime translation. It would be most helpful that the steno interpreter work very closely with the instructor to be aware of all handouts, videos, guest speakers, or changes in the classroom scheduling so they can be prepared before the class time with the terminology. Working together will guarantee the student with the hearing impairment the best translation and interpreting services to assist them in their educational journey.

Should you have any questions or need to discuss this program further, please contact the Office for Disability Services 366-9246 or czang@cotc.edu Thank you for your support.

During this quarter there will be a steno interpreter working with a student with a hearing impairment who is attending your class. If there are any videos shown in this class, we would like to make arrangements for them to be closed-captioned or scripted ahead of time, so the hearing impaired student can view the videos with the class. Please take a moment to fill out this form if any videos will be used.

What video will be shown and when will it be shown? Can we obtain information from the video department to see if this video is closed-captioned? If it is captioned, you will need to arrange to have a TV with a decoder so that the student will be able to participate in that particular class.

Thank you. Should you have any questions or need to discuss this program further, please contact the Office for Disability Services at 366-9246.

Additional Resources:

• Fast Facts for Faculty - Universal Design for Learning", from Ohio State University Partnership Grant -
  http://www.osu.edu/grants/dpg/fastfact/undesign.html
• Honolulu Community College, Faculty Development - Teaching Tips Index:
  http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm
• Valle Verde Library - Designing Web Pages for People with Disabilities: (Excellent listing of resources on general information, legal issues, design issues and testing your web site for accessibility)
  http://www.epcc.edu/vvlib/webada.htm