Rights & Responsibilities

Office for Disability Services: ODS Policies & Procedures

At The Ohio State University at Newark and Central Ohio Technical College, we believe that all students should have an equal access to higher education and university life. The Office for Disability Services provides accommodations and support services for students with disabilities. As a faculty member you will probably teach a student with a disability at some time during your career at the Newark Campus, and the Office of Disability Services (Warner 226) will provide you with support services.

The student has the responsibility for making his/her accommodation or auxiliary aids needs known to the instructor. Academic adjustments are legally mandated services, including but not limited to a reader and/or scribe for exams, extra time for exams, priority scheduling, and computer access for exams. Auxiliary aids are services, equipment, and procedures that allow students with disabilities access to learning and activities in the classroom. They include such services or equipment as assistive listening devices, readers, note takers, taped textbooks, and large print materials.

Academic Adjustment and auxiliary services for which an individual student is eligible are identified on an “Authorized Accommodations” form from the Office of Disability Services, which the student should present to the instructor. Because the eligibility for services must be determined according to strict federal guidelines, the professional personnel in the Office for Disability Services are charged with the responsibility of reviewing documentation for each student to determine necessary adjustments. Privacy laws prohibit the disclosure of disability related information unless the student has signed a waiver and then discussion is limited to a “need-to-know” basis, such as an advising situation. It is very important for compliance and for protection of the rights of the student and the faculty member, that only students whose documentation has been verified through Disability Services be given accommodations and access to auxiliary aids. Certainly some disabilities are apparent and accommodations self-evident, but it is still good practice to ask to see the “Authorized Academic Adjustment” form before implementing Academic Adjustment.

Faculty can facilitate the process of verification and notification by including a note on the syllabus or by making an announcement encouraging anyone requiring the syllabus or by making an announcement encouraging anyone requiring Academic Adjustment because of a disability to make an appointment to discuss them. In that appointment that student can present his/her “Authorized Academic Adjustment” form and discuss how these will be handled in the course, or, if the student has a request based on a need created by a disability, and has not been to Disability Services, the instructor can explain the process and assist the student in making contact with the office. An example of a statement for the syllabi is, “All students with disabilities who need accommodations should see me privately during my office hours to make arrangements,” or “Any student with a documented disability which may require special Academic Adjustment should self-identify to the instructor as early as possible in order to receive effective and timely accommodations.”

As a faculty member, you are responsible for ensuring that all class materials are available in accessible format to students with disabilities. Providing class materials in accessible format means that the material may need to be provided in Braille, audiotape, and/or enlarged print. The Office of Disability Services will assist you with this request.

Fortunately, the law does not require us to do the “impossible,” just the “reasonable,” and nothing that creates an “undue burden on the institution.” Whenever you are faced with a request that creates a question of “reasonableness,” consult with Disability Services. Most often there are several ways to meet a need, and finding the right method in the best interests of all may require some dialog.

Revised 11/23/05

Disability Services at Newark Campus